Click to read I write to express my deep concern and outrage over the exorbitant increases in medical insurance premiums imposed by insurance companies recently. In my own experience, a half-yearly premium that usually cost around RM1,300 has ridiculously ballooned nearly five-fold. Citing the rising cost of medical services as the standard justification, insurers are pricing ordinary Malaysians out of basic health security. First, this gradual yet steep escalation will inevitably lead to a high attrition rate among policyholders, particularly senior citizens. Having dutifully paid premiums for decades during their working lives, retirees now find themselves facing astronomical sums at a time when they have no regular income. Unable to afford these sudden hikes, many are forced to lapse their policies, effectively rendering decades of financial discipline and protection worthless overnight. Second, the current system highlights a stark imbalance of power. ...
Another piece that may be worth reading to understand what is happening: Deep state means different things to different people but one cannot underestimate its potency Whether in Malaysia or elsewhere, the concept of the 'deep state' is a frequent topic of discussion. While definitions vary, for the sake of this article, I define it simply: civil servants acting incongruently with their ministers. This explains why the uninformed are often left wondering why ministers say one thing, yet we observe actions that completely contradict their words. When Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over the reins of government from his toxic predecessor in 2003, the same venom spewed out against Pak Lah against the fifth prime minister was attempting to topple Pak Lah, despite his big mandate won in the 2003 general election. To most Malaysians, the support for Barisan Nasional returned but Mahathir’s loyalists did everything they could to topple Abdullah Badawi. This had been the same modus ope...