Yesterday evening, it was raining heavily in Petaling Jaya. Uneven roads and those with potholes were all flooding up. However, what caught Malaysian with exaggerating reactions wasn’t the downpour; but, the headline of “Petrol to cost RM2.70 from midnight”
Wai Pei: I wan to kaopehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh (then she sent me a link to NST online news citing the crazy petrol hike)
George: wah lao…. diesel increase by RM1
Then everyone started to gather around the area near my cubicle, kao peh about the drastic hike in fuel price. There, about half an hour of working hour was affected with moody grumblings.
Sure enough, town areas everywhere within Malaysia were experiencing massive traffic jam yesterday evening, as almost every vehicle owner was rushing to petrol station to fill up the last tank of RM1.92 per liter petrol. As expected, some petrol stations were running out of stock. All petrol stations were making big money last night.
With 41% hike (RM1.92 to RM2.70) of petrol price, 63% hike (RM1.58 to RM2.58) of diesel price, 18% hike of electricity for homes and 26% for business users, all these percentage increases are converting to screaming of “money not enough” for average Malaysians. This drastic change will make significant economical impacts to low and middle class Malaysians; the wealthy ones can still comfortably cope with it.
I would like to see how the government is going to fool the world about Malaysia inflation rate. Don’t tell me another decent 4 to 5 percents; this is plain nonsense! Fuel is one of the very key daily commodities. Now that fuel price is experiencing such a drastic hike, we will see immediate price increase in all other goods and services that form the basic needs for our daily life. Thinking about it, is surely enough to make us cry for our shrinking wallet.
Let’s make a simple optimistic draft on the increase of monthly expenses for a young Malaysian making living in city.
| Items | Remarks | Increase of Monthly Expenses (RM) |
| Petrol | Before hike, average RM220 a month | 90 |
| Meals | Extra RM3 on daily meals. Even the price of rice has also been hiking for 30 - 50 percents already | 90 |
| Daily Commodities | Prices of many things will be increased due to higher transportation and manufacturing costs | 60 |
| Misc | 10 | |
| Total | 250 |
My friends, I consider the calculation above as quite an optimistic one, for an average adult living in the city. In practical cases, I’m sure many individual will experience increased monetary burden of more than RM250 a month.
To someone who is in tight monthly budget, who can only barely save RM250 a month, this will mean no saving for him/her. Worse, if he/she can’t save RM250 a month before the commodity price hike. What about people with family commitment?
Even if someone earning RM3000 a month is rewarded with 10% increment, the increment simply means nothing! He/she is only rewarded to barely cover the inflation.
Our nightmare doesn’t stop here. If the fuel subsidy is fully withdrawn by end of August, we will all be living in superbly high inflation, superbly low spending power, and yet with the superbly same amount of money. Malaysia boleh, Malaysia super ma…
“CAP: Don’t use fuel hike to increase food prices“. Think in practical sense please. Do you think this is possible??? Is anyone doing business for charity??? When the cost increases, we will definitely see price hike in food.
Now, I’m really interested to see how the huge sum of money from fuel subsidy deduction is going to be spent in national welfare. We’re talking about billions of Ringgit, a huge sum that can make a lot difference to benefit the citizens.
Tun Dr. Mahathir has already posted his opinions on the oil price hike. I like the following quote. This is exactly what we’re facing right now - “strengthening” Ringgit without bringing economical benefits to the average Malaysians.
In the first place the Government should not have floated the Ringgit. A floating rate creates uncertainties and we cannot gain anything from the strengthened Ringgit. Certainly the people have not exprienced any increase in their purchasing power because of the appreciation in the exchange rate between the US Dollar and the Ringgit.
By the way, what happened to the light rail expansion project? What changes have you seen from the “better public transportation” promises that we have all been reading and hearing more than a year ago?
First thing to do now, faster go and book your AirAsia ticket if you have any traveling plan, before the fuel surcharge is revised.
Now, even a primary school pupil will also go home and complain to parents that their pocket money is not enough for recess time.
“妈妈。。你给我的零用钱不够了。。 食堂aunty讲面起价了”
Money not enough!
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“CAP: Don’t use fuel hike to increase food prices“
Only morons will make statements like this! It is very obvious that the decision for the fuel hike was made without any study done or research on the impact of the hike.
Just this morning I heard on the radio that they are going to study the “effects” of this fuel hike. WTF is that? Why not let me take a gun and shoot you first and then let me study the effects… morons!
Its all a big chain reaction, our government was busy “finding money” to fill up their coffers with the fuel price increase that they forgot the fundamentals for long term solution.
Increasing the fuel prices is only a temporary measure, what Malaysia need is long term solution.
The promises of providing better public transport have not yet been seen. Campaigns to promote energy saving (our electricity all mostly powered by fuel) are only seasonal. There are no incentives or promotion for hybrid vehicles, its still super expensive to buy one. All the talk about biotech, so when are bio-diesel gonna be available for suffering Malaysians to use?
Ok, forget the government, let them do their nonsense, we just wait for snap poll on that la, the morons will do their moronic thing.
What we, the suffering rakyat need to do is not spending time sulking about this whole issue. But rather, start to slap ourselves in the face and tell ourselves that this will stay and the worst are yet to come. We need to move on, be pro-active, change our lifestyle, adapt to it. Energy saving at home, change your light bulbs to energy saving. Walk or cycle to the nearby 7-11, don’t drive. Check out this site, its actually world environment day today, and of course our government not doing much about it. http://www.unep.org/wed/2008/english/Information_Material/factsheet.asp
God bless us all Malaysians.
Now, with every event the G organized, people are going to criticize like mad.