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The government has been reducing the price of fuel in drips these past months. But the working rakyat are not celebrating with accolades. There are justified reasons for this seeming 'ungratefulness' from the taxpayer.
Firstly, the the last time the price of fuel rocketed, it took a major swipe into the shrunken pockets of millions of wage earners. It was almost paralyzing for millions of bread winners who relied on fixed salaries to put meals on the table and meet monthly bills. The suffering and anguish was worsened when traders almost instantly hiked their prices to match the new fuel costs. It was a windfall as old inventory went with revised prices. The world fuel price has plunged a long time since, but the government has only been reducing the pump price in slow drips of ten cents here and ten cents there. The ordinary rakyat is asking a basic, common sense question: When the world price shot up to more than USD150 per barrel, we saw an unprecedented rise here. But when the barrel price has hit an unprecedented low -- far below what it even used to be before we started paying the hiked price, our pump price is still above what we used to pay then. What logic is this if it is not a case of cashing in at the expense of the rakyat? Or robbing from Peter to pay Paul. Of course the government will have to explain the rationale and present the justifications. But while the leaders figure that out, there is another floodgate that is burst and goes un-noticed. The prices of goods are not coming down! In the past, no one hesitated an hour to adjust the sales price every time the fuel price went up. Even GLCs did that. So did traders atpasar malams. They did not lose the ripoff opportunity. From our favorite daily breakfast corner at mamak stalls to the exclusive restaurants in the cities -- price lists were replaced instantly. But now that fuel prices are bottomed-out globally and even here it is been reduced several times over, should the costs of all other things come down accordingly? No. That is not the case. Pray tell us, where are the enforcement units? Pray tell us what is the Ministry of Domestic Trade is doing? What about all those agencies involved in issuing trading licenses? Pray tell us which politician is screaming mad in parliament over this gross injustice and day light robbery that is strangling the working rakyat? Have electricity and telephone bills come down? Have banks reduced their rates? Have supermarkets genuinely adjusted their prices without all the fanfare public relations stunts and marketing gimmicks? Has the teh tarik mamak reduced the price of his cup of tea? Or the nasi lemak seller? What about the pasar malams and wet markets? And do not overlook the neighbourhood grocer either. When no single authority takes up enforcement seriously, the rakyat's interests are not protected. When NGOs do not rally against this gross stealing from the rakyat, the crime continues unabated. And let us get wiser. Mere political statements and seeming threats in the media is not going to the ugly profiteering under check. What we do not realize is: the rich will get richer while the poor get poorer. At the painful end, this nation will crumble under the weight of such corrupt greed. In despair the rakyat dismisses this reality and resigns with 'life must go on'. Not realizing that that life is not going on; it is in fact on the decline. - J. D. Lovrenciear, Semenyih
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