How One Man's Donation To The PH Government Is Making Other Malaysians Want To Pitch In
It's a voluntary contribution.
By Tang Ruxyn — 25 May 2018, 02:18 PM
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng recently confirmed that Malaysia's national debt has already hit beyond RM1 trillion.
A man decided to take matters into his own hands, by making a voluntary contribution to improve the nation's balance sheet.
A photo of two RM50 banknotes and a letter circulating on social media in the past two days reveals that someone has offered to donate some money to the federal government.
In the letter written to the Prime Minister's Department, a Malaysian named 'Sabahbathi Rajalingam' from Kampung Asahan, Batang Berjuntai in Selangor said that he would like to make a contribution to the government.
"As a Malaysian, I am very happy with the new government, and I am willing to contribute to help the government pay off the country's debt. Although this amount is insufficient and too small, I believe that my efforts in some ways will ease the new government's burden," read the letter.
Many have since said that they "want in" as they are eager to play a part in helping to rebuild the country
More and more Malaysians have seconded the idea and offered to pitch in money to help pay off the national debt.
A few netizens have also suggested for the new government to set up a dedicated account to allow the public to channel funds directly into the hands of the relevant authorities.
Nonetheless, some have also opposed the idea and said the public should instead ensure that they pay their taxes as they would be contributing to part of the government revenue that will help to reduce national debt.
The idea of citizens contributing monetary donations to their government is not new
The practice is observed in the United States (US), where the US Department of Treasury has a specific account set up since 1843 for members of the public to make their contribution to the US government.
A CNN report in 2012 cited statistics from the Treasury which showed that Americans went out of their way to give the government more than they're required to under the country's tax laws and donated a total of USD8 million to help cut national debt.
Meanwhile, the Financial Times previously reported late last year that citizens in the UK also helped to reduce national debt through donations, although it was noted that contributions have dwindled down in recent years.
It was learned that these contributions are known as "patriotic gifts" in the UK, and the practice dates back to the nineteenth century.
Would you consider to make a donation to help reduce national debt? Let us know in the comments section below.