The 2010 Budget has made it very clear that the country aspires to be a high-income country.

Perhaps, Malaysians can look forward to more comfortable life henceforth.

But to live comfortably in Malaysia is by no means easy.

Things are expensive; salaries are low. Plenty of work to do, and too little entertainment. Long hours of traffic jams, and much longer terms of car mortgages.

No one can tell when the high-income era will eventually arrive. But if it doesn't, no one can seize the arms of our PM cum finance minister and hold him responsible for what he has said.

Take a look at the multitude of foreign workers that roam our streets, and civil servants that can't do things any faster; you don't need to look elsewhere for any clue of a high-income society!

Basically, a country that speaks not of meritocracy, and where the majority are still awaiting government handouts, should not talk of high income.

A bureaucratic system with tonnes of potholes, where a piece of RM900 worth of equipment will require RM30,000 public fund to procure, will only render a handful of people high-income, leaving the bulk low-income.

For a government that relies on petroleum for 40% of its revenue, yet having its oil reserves touching the bottom anytime soon, any high-income talk is more of a luxury than anything else.

To really shed the low-income predestination, we need more than just plain talks.

Developing knowledge economy, altering corporate structure, promoting growth centres, etc. are but old topics that have been fried over and again, yet remaining largely empty talks to this day.

A set of strategies to fight poverty must be mapped out if we really aspire to advance into the high-income league.

Economy needs to be fully liberalised; talents must be non-exclusively absorbed; policies must be transparent and crystal clear.

The government wants to overhaul the investment environment to retain the confidence of foreign investors. But it must also come up with a more substantial vision that will put everyone in a fighting spirit.

I recently read some books on competitiveness of nations, and found that many high-income countries indeed have their unique conditions and fundamentals to succeed.

Scandinavian countries not only lead the world in incomes, they also excel in health, politics, job assurance, sex equality, freedom, family and community living as well as a host of other indicators.

Efficiency has been the cornerstone of high income generation for Scandinavian countries. In order to boost their work efficiency, Scandinavians have cracked their heads and conceived ways of improving their technology, from large equipment to tiny buttons on any electronic device.

They always think of ways to make their machines work in their stead.

Innovation is yet another intrinsic strength of Scandinavians. From Finland's Nokia to Sweden's Ikea, simple designs could be highly innovative and marvellous income generators.

Compared to Scandinavian states, Malaysia is so generously endowed with natural resources. All we need is improve our human qualities and government competency. (By TAY TIAN YAN/Translated by DOMINIC LOH/Sin Chew Daily)