'BN has been cheating the people. If we follow their logic, then everything the government spends on is a ‘subsidy’ of one sort or another.' On
PM: Understand reasons for fuel hikeAl Tugauw: There was never any subsidy. The BN government is and has been cheating the people. If we follow their twisted logic, then everything the government spends on is a ‘subsidy’ of one sort or another.
It is the Malaysian people that have been subsidising shoddy government, mismanagement and extravagance, even sheer waste and corruption, the brunt of which is being borne by the hardcore poor of the oil-producing states, Sarawak, Sabah and Terengganu, who should rightfully have a far better claim for ‘subsidies’.
BH: Year in and out, we hear GLCs reporting increased pre-tax profits of certain percentage, we hear of toll operators reporting increased profits and we also hear of GLCs intending to increase charges to cover the so-called increased of utilities provision.
Hey, wait a minute. Despite all the hue and cry from the public, these corporations continued to increase prices and later at the end of the year, proudly announced their annual achievements of certain high figures
Doesn’t this sound like robbing from the poor to feed the rich? With all these crazy increases, we should be asking the government to reserve their savings from the subsidies to pay off the toll concessionaires so that all roads can be toll-free.
And return Petronas to the rightful owner - the citizens of Malaysia.
Put Off: This is another example of how the BN government does things without having thorough studies and discussions on the pros and cons of the decision made. I can understand how Sabah politicians feel over the manner of how the hike in fuel prices was decided upon.
So, what are you waiting for Sabah politicians? Umno treats you guys as 'invisible' or 'insignificant' in BN. At least Pak Lah should have consulted you guys in BN before making this harsh decision.
Johnny Koay: Malaysia exports its high grade crude and import the low grade for our usage.
In less than two years, the price of crude has risen five fold, hence the rise in transport and food prices.
This does have a significant effect on the lower-income groups. There will be a hike in utility tariffs again thus helping TNB’s annual profit soar higher than RM200 million ringgit. Why can't TNB take a smaller profit and helps the rakyat with no increase in the electricity tariffs?
If the BN government really cares for the rakyat they should instruct TNB to help. The BN government has bailed out MAS and other non-performing government companies. When they are in a fix, they ask the rakyat to ‘sabar’ or change our lifestyle.
How to change our life style with a poor, shambling public transportation? I think it is time for the opposition to look into this poor public transport system in their respective states and act upon it.
The BN government needs to be change instead of the rakyat needing to change. Perhaps then, our vision to be a developed country by 2020 can be achieved.
Mooshie Mooshie: You who call yourself the prime minister of Malaysia, you have sickened everybody by increasing the petrol price recently. You remember some clown from your cabinet saying the increase will be in August? Look at what has happened., another lie.
Can't anybody from your cabinet tell the truth anymore these days? Maybe you as a PM also like to lie too. Remember what you said about the last increase? The money would all go to improving public transport.
Do you see any improvement in the Klang valley? Or have the monies (about RM4 billion) saved gone ‘to don’t know where’? What happened to the savings promised to improve the public transport system. We are all very disgusted.
Aike Dopan: The PM has stopped listening. And if you recall, he asked fellow Malaysians for more time in office to show what we could do. He ended up not only not improving our lifestyles as citizens but instead advising us to change the way we live.
So what has he achieved so far? Yes, as long as we can keep him in his office, we are sure of one thing - he will continue to raise the cost of living in this country, period.
The Devil's Economist: The reduction in fuel and, by extension, electricity subsidies is painful reminder to both the rakyat (and the government) as to the price to be paid from the wallet (and politically from the fallout) when unsustainable subsidies are offered and eventually forced to be withdrawn.
There is a bigger unsustainable subsidy that will eventually be withdrawn despite Umno's desperate attempts to retain it as a pillar of their power through political patronage. I am referring to the NEP and its variously-named successor policies. When the NEP commenced, it was sustainable as about 45% of the population was subsidising the remaining 55% of the population.
Thanks to differential growth rates in the population (due in large part to BN government policies), that number today is closer 30% subsidising the remaining 70% of the population. Based on current population growth rates, the ratio will eventually reach 20% subsidising 80%.
Go further into the future and we'll reach 10% subsidising 90%. It’s a no-brainer that at some (tipping) point, those numbers are not sustainable. The drag on the economy will be so great that the government will be forced to withdraw the NEP overnight.
The longer the NEP is retained, the harder and more painful it will be for the government of the day to remove this unsustainable subsidy scheme. It may be better to contemplate a phased withdrawal of NEP over a five to 10-year period and give the subsidised population segment a chance to adapt than to be forced to cancel it overnight due to economic collapse. That would be the ultimate betrayal of that segment of the population which Umno claims to represent.
Let this be a reminder to all political parties (including Pakatan Rakyat) aspiring to govern - subsidies may earn you cheap political gain in the short-term but eventually you will pay the price in the future when these subsidies prove economically unsustainable.
Kuberan Perumal: The ex-Mayor of London - Ken Livingstone and some of the UK MPs used to travel using public transport to prove that their public transport really worked and at the same time they could judge for themselves the quality of the services provided.
My question will our MPs and ministers do so for a month just to get the feel of ours?
Rakyat Malaysia: What was the ruling government thinking when they decided on the hike in the fuel price? According to our beloved prime minister, ‘we can’t satisfy everyone’ so who are you satisfying here?
It is an unbelievable decision as though the government is out all the way to punish the voters as to their ‘defection’ in the last general election. The government should have discussed this hike issue in parliament so that the other elected members of parliament are given an opportunity to voice their concerns and be fair to the rakyat.
Stanley Iswara: With this increase in fuel prices I say: 1. Let Malaysians pay the market price for cars. 2. Stop wasting billions on protecting Proton. 3. Revoke the lop-sided agreements the government made with the crony IPPs.
4. Revoke the lop-sided agreements the government made with the crony toll operators. 5. Use the insane profits that Petronas made for over 40 years to offset the high petrol prices for the benefit of the people.
6. Revamp public transport. 7. Publish Petronas’ accounts to show how our petrol money was spent by Petronas and the government and 8. Stop all wasteful projects that benefit cronies.
Edmond Wee: The government implement policies that affect the country. However, many of the policies don't seem to care for the public. They do not appear to know what the general public is feeling. There is now to be paid 78 extra sen for every litre of petrol and RM1 extra for every litre of diesel. That's a big jump.
The government doesn't seem to be very sophisticated in handling this problem. Eight percent of our subsided fuel is smuggled out. Fishermen get their fuel at RM1.43. Wow! Smuggle to Thailand for easy money.
A big problem with Malaysia is that the government aka Big Brother (BB) likes to make all the decisions alone It's a good thing to lead but BB can only lead so much. The time is now fo rwe must make our grievances heard. No more subservience to Big Brother.
Meet your MPs, demand answers from them. Demand improvement from them. Don't stop until there's improvement.
MyMy: Actually, if the Malaysian government fully owns Petronas, then there is not really a subsidy. It is loss in income.
Thanneer: Here is a radical suggestion to fight the reduction in fuel subsidies. Target one of the petrol providers and boycott their stations completely. Once their revenues go down, theoretically they can either close shop or reduce prices.
If they choose to close shop, we can continue this with another company. This can be executed as long as we get mass cooperation from motorists.
Xroy: I, for one, believe that there is a case for the hike in petrol prices, and I am sure many other Malaysians believe so too though what irks the ordinary man-in-the-street is that this increase will have dire consequences on him and yet for others it will mean nothing but a few ringgit more.
For all their hard work, Malaysian workers have been completely ignored for ages by this government, whilst members of parliament and state assembly persons suddenly become rich and very rich.
The poor worker whose toil actually built this nation has been shown nothing but total contempt and disregard, treated with suspicion, and left in the lurch with nothing but empty promises.
The Singapore worker makes more than twice what his Malaysian counterpart does while Thai workers are fast catching up. Yet each time there is talk about minimum wage, the government shuts off the issue.
The gap in salary of the ordinary employee and his boss are light years apart, and yet it is these very people, the bosses, who lobby the government not to provide minimum wage. A comparative study of wages and the gaps between management and worker will reveal that Malaysian workers are indeed exploited, and exploited very badly.
Corruption is the biggest issue that ordinary man in the street is most angry about as corrupt politicians have amassed wealth for themselves and their families. What is the 40 percent rise in petrol prices to these peopleas there is still more to be made for the national coffers.
Now with this hike, the government is promising rebate payments to ‘ease the burden of the poor’. They must really be thinking that the rakyat are nothing more than a bunch of beggars and fools.
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