The liberal Malaysia:
PUTRAJAYA: Consumers can expect major changes in the demand and supply mechanism, including doing away with controlling the prices of essential goods, said Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Samad. [Price controls may go. The Star. March 25 2008]
The welfare state Selangor:
In his first Press conference as Selangor Mentri Besar today, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim made two key announcements: the first 20 cubic metres of water is free to all Selangor households from April, and the eve of polling day water treatment plant deal between Puncak Niaga Holdings Bhd and Selangor Government is lopsided to the concessionaire’s advantage. [Khalid announces free household water and lopsided water deal. New Straits Times. March 17]
It is tough being a libertarian in Malaysia. On one hand PKR is liberal in its social outlook and BN sits on the conservative seat. On the other hand, PKR is running on left-wing-based economic policies while BN adopts the more liberal (read: better) ones, the NEP notwithstanding.
Libertarians living in the US also face the same problem: PKR is analogous to the Democratic Party while BN is similar to the Republican Party. One pseudo-idiom may help: the American eagle needs both its left wing and its right wing to soar.
Bah! What we need is a libertarian party to party — Lionel Richie, anyone? — all night long with cool gun-wielding chicks! Enough of dilemmas and lame llamas. We do not need them.