Wednesday, June 4, 2008

The inevitable happened!



Oh Dear! Is more bad news coming our way ?

I am feeling a little annoyed this morning. Fuel prices are now at a price that was unimaginable before. An increase of 0.78 sen a litre for petrol! I do not want to think of the repercussions. I am sure it is only a matter of time before the prices of everything else spirals upwards.Well to be honest I always thought that fuel prices were going to go up but this is ridiculous. I remember how the government said during the last price hike that the money saved then would be used for better and more efficient public transportation! Well you know what, nothing of the sort has happened! The roads are just as bad and public transport is just diddly squat! And how can the government advise the people to change their lifestyles when the government itself has not ? When I see government officials or ministers taking using public transportation instead of their official cars maybe then I would also consider doing the same.

The thing that I don't understand is how this government continues to justify the price increase with nations like Singapore! Look if you don't know Singapore is just a small island nation and is not in the oil production business. We on the other hand are an oil producing nation last time I checked. The strange thing about our oil production is that it is a matter of National Security! No accounts are ever produced with regards our National Oil Company i.e Petronas even in Parliament. No one really knows what really goes on in Petronas other than the powers that be in this country. Really sad isn't it? No transparency nor accountability. Those two words don't mean much in this beloved nation of ours. Do they?

Anyway I am very much aware that the prices of fuel has spiralled upwards around the world and it was only a matter of time before it happens here. Maybe the price increase would not have been so objectionable if it had been done gradually and without the need for sudden surprises. Our PM has been very consistent on one thing, every time he denies something quite the opposite happens. Its true. He denied he was getting married again but then what happened? He denied Parliament was going to be dissolved and then the next day he announces the opposite! Very consistent on being inconsistent!

Now the government would want us to believe that the money saved from all the scrapped subsidies are going to be used for food security (whatever that means), cooking oil subsidies and the like.Call me a sceptic but I think the money would just be squandered like so many times before this. Just a sad fact of life in Malaysia. Just have to live with it I guess. Must we?

Sad today, so no cheerslah!

M V Nathan

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I suggest that the Government take all the profits that the gambling companies - sports toto, magnum, da ma cai etc have been making all these years and give it back to the people. And subsidize petrol prices. There is no transparency how the millions or billions of the gambling public's money have been spent by these gambling monopolies. With petrol prices going up, more people will be gambling because of depression.

Anonymous said...

the rich get richer the poor poorer

bodhi said...

Think the comments are very appropriate. More will gamble and the poor will get poorer.Am Sad, very sad.I also believe that the crime index is going to shoot up. Inevitable! Desperate times drive people to do things they normally wont.

Praying for better times.

Anonymous said...

I'm surprised why no drastic action is taken to cut off subsidy & tol exemption for the good for nothing mat rempits. Clearly they are wasting the precious fuel.

bodhi said...

You know what, not all agree would agree with you there... UMNO youth for example! According to them Mat Rempits have a role to play in nation building!!!

Cheers anonymous!