Price hikes can make a country sick

NEW At the stroke of midnight, a “thief” crept into the homes of all Malaysians while they were sound asleep. He did not intend to steal their material possessions. He did worse – he left a note on their breakfast table, which shook them up the next day. They read: “Sugar up! Petrol up! Diesel up! Natural gas up!” Unbeknown to them, the man who stays in Putrajaya was working overtime on this piece of bad news and had surreptitiously delivered the blow at a time when most people are in slumber land. But some got wind of his secret intention – they rushed to the petrol stations and joined the long queue to fill up their tanks.

Yes, the prime minister had hinted sometime ago that the people must be prepared for subsidy cuts and the consequent side-effects. Even one of his ministers had warned that the country would go bankrupt if the subsidy crutch is not removed. The leaders were softening us up before moving in for the kill. But the timing of their “attack” was heartless. With Hari Raya around the corner, they dropped the bombs and snuffed out the lights of joy.

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We have no quarrel with the government's aim to save money from the subsidy cuts. The savings is huge – RM750 million a year. But the government has not been thrifty with its spending. Billions of ringgit had gone down the drain because of mismanagement and the greed for money. Even the RM750 million will disappear into the black hole in no time. Trimming down the subsidy fats is not the answer to a strong and healthy nation. The millions saved will not make us leaner simply because a spendthrift government, long in power and awashed with so many sins, cannot and will not change its bad ways.

When the New Economic Model was thrust onto the public stage, there was general consternation. The new-born baby was not even brought to parliament for a ritual of debate and confirmation. It came into the world bawling for attention but the citizens paid little heed to it. Likewise, there was no debate about the intended price hikes or consultation with the man in the street. Instead, the whole bundle was dumped on us with the cynical remark that a rise in the price of sugar will set you free from the clutches of diabetes. It is not a sweet reasoning; it is ludicrous and ill-thought.

In a democracy, nothing must be kept in the closet. All matters of national importance must be aired openly. Everyone has the right to know what is good for them. But the prime minister of Malaysia wants to operate deep down the bunker where plans are forged on the anvil of secrecy. It seems that there is an official price schedule kept closely to the premier's chest in which is laid out plans for additional increases in the price of sugar, cooking gas and other consumer products. Why isn't the prime minister telling us about it? Why keep mum when he knows full well that inflation rates will soar if he continues with another round of price hikes?

Malaysians are a mature lot. It insults their intelligence when spurious arguments are used to advance a national agenda. It angers them when steps are taken in a cloak-and-dagger manner. It riles them when leaders talked with a forked tongue as they mould the destiny of the country. Ordinary people who daily wage a battle to survive may not understand the complexities of economic management, but they do feel acutely the effects of ill-conceived plans. It is not rocket science to know that when prices go up, the country is in deep trouble. Then the prime minister cannot tell the people to eat bread because the price of a loaf is too high.

Editorial -FREE MALAYSIA TODAY-