It had finally happened, earlier than expected. It seems that there is a controversy on the implementation date but at the end, it has to be immediate, meaning the PM is still on the driver seat. The way it is implemented may just unseat him as well, let us just wait and see.
At a time like this, after the hefty fuel price increment, whatever the PM said in consolation seemed so hollow, he can keep his sympathy. Whatever he did or advised, had so far nothing in line to raise the productivity and improve the income of the people, to meet this rising cost of living.
Nothing is changed, encourage the subsidy mentality, you can actually make a living with a few unserviceable junks(cars), as long as you have it registered and pay the road tax to claim the subsidy. It may just end up, people who are cars/junks collectors being subsidise to have this hobby. The subsidy encourages non-productive usage of vehicles.
Last night, TV7(local television station) made a survey on whether the law-makers, especially the cabinet ministers should walk-the-talk and change their life style. The response was 98% that the ministers should lead by example. The PM made excuses to the increment in fuel price (up to 40%) and that we should change our life style by adjusting to the inflation expected. This also includes using public transportation. Let us see if our ministers use public transportation and have their Nasi Lemak for breakfast at the 5-foot way or in a makeshift canteen under the tree.
The government only implement measures to collect more from the public and encourage unproductive usage of subsidy. For those who live and spend meticulously are left to further hardship and unprotected. Whatever you had saved for a rainy day is further eroded by at least 20% by a stroke of the PM’s pen and the PM is silent on how to address it. Maintaining the interest rate of 3.5% is ridiculous by bank Negara, unless it is out to help those who live beyond their means.
A working person would travel at least 50 km per day, meaning at least 3 litres of petrol and that will cost Rm2.34 extra per day (with price hike of 78 cents per litre), about Rm70 per month or Rm840 per year. It is a double whammy, not only with this extra cost in fuel, now the person has to face raising cost of living as well. The fuel price as it is, before the hefty increment is already a burden in comparison to the income of the ordinary worker. To say that our fuel prices are still the cheapest in comparison to our neighbour, is the worst load of rubbish that ever come out from our elite ministers and they kept on saying it, as if all Malaysians are idiots.
Our investment policy must be very wrong. Not only will our neighbours come in to fill up the petrol tanks but inefficient companies (FDIs) also come in to take advantage of our energy price. The subsidy to a large extend is enjoyed by the FDI companies. If these FDI companies are here just to provide employments and to use ‘slave’ labour but uncompetitive in world market, we can do without them, there is no need to polish the pride and say we attracted so much and so much of FDI every year. This, to a certain extend is confirmed by the government in saying that we still among the cheapest in the world in energy cost.
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