I am against the oil price hike and I personally think Pak Lah is not capable to help the rakyat and this is the worst decision he has ever made since taking over the power. At least, in my view, before he announce that stupid decision, he should have first, not later, came up with the ideas and ways of how to minimize the impact on the rakyat. Ensuring that the price of goods are not rocketing, that the government is monitoring and taking actions on errant traders, that the toll rate will not increase, and etc., etc. is so basi, so yesteryears! At the end of the day, the rakyat will still have to pay higher price for everything under the sun and we lose our spending power. It is just a matter of time.
While most of the people are suffering from this, the dumb newspapers and TV kept reporting how wise and good the decision is. Not surprisingly though,a male species of Member of Parliament even dared to say that it is OK for rakyat to pay even extra 40 cents! Monkey, who says so?! Are you out of your mind?? Do you think we are all as rich as you?? How dare you call yourself an MP who represents the rakyat??!! We must not call these people Yang Berhormat anymore since they do not know how to hormat the rakyat's feelings and more importantly, needs!! Certainly that cheap talk was not from the rakyat but merely someone who is trying to kiss somebody's ass for his own personal and political agendas (money, cheap publicity, attention and power)! Hey, since he is willing to pay extra 40 cents, why don't each and every petrol station in Malaysia charge that monkey that extra amount, or make it 50 cents...much better and more profit! Stupid asshole!
And those monkeys who came up and supported the idea of using public transport only know how to talk. Do they know how much hassle we have to go through in using the poor, expensive and inefficient public transport? Why didn't they use it everyday in the first place instead of buying cheap publicity riding the LRT for just one day to "lead by example bullshit"? So what, we the ordinary rakyat is forced to use the inefficient public transport and they monkeys have the every right to travel in comfort and luxury??? And, not to mention those monkeys can merrily avoid the traffic jam by you know how....!
Media in Malaysia does not help much either. They only aired positive views, another ass-licking political engine from the ruling government. I do believe in certain that the majority rakyat is against the decision, in which, the media should be the medium for the rakyat to convey, to express their objections to the people who are sitting in the comfort zone in the government, so that a proper actions can be taken based on the views and voices of the rakyat. Instead, the media has been manipulated by the ruling government to propagate its idea of "this is for the benefits of the rakyat (who are actually happen to be my family, relatives and the people who are close to me
As much as being patriotic I am, at this point however, I agree with the writer of the refuted article below that "the government must think we Malaysians are a bunch of donkeys"! From what I see, in this beloved country, the rich is getting richer and the poor is getting poorer and who shall we blame? The government lah, of course!
Pak Lah, you are working too slow, you have to do something immediately. It is not about popular or unpopular decision, but it is about the rakyat's survival. And, yes, Pak lah, we were and still so very angry! Should things getting worse, I am sure you will be "the most popular history" among the rakyat!
Or perhaps the rakyat from now on should rethink on who is more capable to captain us.....
READ DUMB OOI`S LETTER, THEN READ THE REBUTTAL.
Oil Prices in Malaysia Still Cheaper
Paul Ooi, Colorado
Mar 6, 06 2:19pm
It seems that many quarters of the Malaysian public are getting very agitated with the fuel price hike. As a Malaysian living overseas, I can only say that even with the price hike, Malaysians are still paying less for petrol than most Western countries, including the US.
After conversion, the price per gallon of petrol in Malaysia will be US$2.00 as compared to the US$2.35 average in the US. The last time I was in Japan and Hong Kong, those countries were paying US$3.50 and US$4.50 per gallon respectively! Furthermore, in the US, the prices of petrol are adjusted at an almost daily basis to reflect daily market price fluctuations. In Malaysia, the prices are fixed at the national level below international prices because the government is already subsidising the commodity.
There is no political or social agenda on the part of the Malaysian government as these prices are actually beyond the control of any single national government. The real problem is that we are facing growing demand for petrol as Asian giants India and China continues to industrialise and compete for the same finite fossil fuel resources as the rest of the industrialised world. The problem of political instability in producer nations like Iraq and Iran have exacerbated the rising cost of petrol as anxiety levels in the world market increase.
My advice to my fellow Malaysians is to review our petrol consumption patterns and where possible cut down on unnecessary travel with the family car. Malaysians are used to the idea of taking the Proton even to ferry people from one place to another within a distance one kilometre.
The shopping mall parking lots are filled to the brim during weekends with many single occupancy vehicles. City and municipal governments need to re-emphasise the development of public transportation to cut down on private car usage. Malaysian driving and commuter habits are actually very similar to those in America, resulting in a highly petrol-dependent population.
-----------------
'Understanding' won't put food on table!
C Nimitz
-----------------
Letter to Editor
www.malaysiakini.com
Mar 7, 06 3:51pm
I refer to the letter by Paul Ooi of Colorado entitled Oil prices in Malaysia still cheaper. I must say Ooi's comparison of petrol prices in Malaysia and the US is not logical, to say the least. He implies that we Malaysians should not be so agitated over the recent hike in petrol prices because we are paying US$2 per gallon while the Americans, Japanese and Hong Kongites are paying US$2.35, US$3.50 and US$4.50 respectively.
I am totally surprised that it did not occur to a well-travelled person like Ooi that Malaysians make much less than the people in the three places he named. Malaysia has a GDP per capita of US$10,400 while the United States, Japan and Hong Kong have a GDP per capita of US$41,800, US$30,400 and US$36,800 respectively. Now, is Ooi actually saying that someone who makes US$10,000 a year and pays US$2 for each gallon of petrol is better off than a person who makes US$40,000 a year but pays US$2.35 (a mere US$0.35 more) for each gallon of petrol? Doesn't make that much sense, does it?
I'm tired of the usual banner of 'oil prices in Malaysia are still cheaper when compared to others' every time price hikes take place. The government must think we Malaysians are a bunch of donkeys. The fact is, despite the mediocre education the government gives to most of us, we can actually do simple maths. If the government had really done its job all these decades, we would not be plagued by corruption and wastage and would be doing so much better in the income and purchasing power departments. The issue of oil subsidy would not even arise as we can then afford to pay for unsubsidised fuel.
The government also launches into elaborate explanations as to why we need to reduce subsidies for fuel and inject the salvaged money into 'much needed' development. But since the past four or five price hikes, our development has remained at that -'much needed'. Can anybody honestly say that the public transportation system in our country has improved ever so tremendously so as to finally allow us to depend on it to get to work, to school, to the market, the court, the hospital, for meetings, etc?
Okay, so we understand the pressing economic need to put our money in development, money which will otherwise be wasted away in fuel subsidies. Understanding, however, does not put food on our tables. Despite our comprehension of the economics of fuel subsidies, we still cannot make ends meet. I'm not against the idea of development. It's just that for the past 18 months or so, petrol prices have increased about 40%, diesel prices about 100% and I have not had 1% of increase in my pay. How, pray tell, am I supposed to cope with this increase in the cost of living? The saying goes that by the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends. In my case, I was not even close to making the ends meet, and they have already moved the ends.
For the benefit of Ooi, I present the typical monthly expenses of a middle-income earner in Kuala Lumpur:
Salary: RM2,600.00 (after EPF and tax deductions)
Minus:
Housing: RM300
Car loan: RM500
Study loan: RM200
Phone and Internet: RM150
Insurance: RM180
Petrol (lives a distance away from KL to take advantage of lower house rent) - new price: RM600
Toll: RM180
Salary left for food: RM490
No savings, no entertainment budget, no new clothing, not much to give the family. And when the time is up for car insurance and road tax, credit card debt is incurred. Please don't tell this person to take public transport. First of all, public transport does not reach where he is living. Secondly, I really would not dare to ask him to rely on the public transport to get to work and meetings on time. If he is a lawyer, then he definitely does not want to take public transport unless he doesn't mind his cases being struck out by the court due to his late appearance.
If that is the life of a middle-income earner, my heart really goes out to the low-income earner.
I do not think Malaysians are being unreasonable about the hike in fuel prices. Trying to make ends meet and making sure the family has enough food is not unreasonable. Feeling desperate and angry when price hikes takes away the ability to buy enough food for the family is not unreasonable.
Unreasonable is when one complains about having to buy less Gucci shoes (must be the female monkeys lah!).
Unreasonable is when the politicians who are elected by the rakyat and are living on the hard earnings of the rakyat tells his countrymen to change their already marginalised lifestyles when he himself is driven around in luxury cars while living in mansions and having his petrol paid for by the rakyat's tax money.
Unreasonable is when one tells people earning less than RM1,000 a month to tighten their already tight belts when he himself dines on the finest food in the finest ambience.
Unreasonable is when the VIPs and the politically well connected send their mediocre-brained children overseas for further education through full Govt scholarships at the expense of the taxpayers'children not even having a chance to get half a scholarship.
Unreasonable is when the income tax relief is still pegged at RM 5,000 for the head of household (averaging RM 400 per month), RM 3,000 for the spouse (RM 250.00 per month) and RM 800.00 per child under 18 years of age(averaging less than RM 100.00 per month).
Coming back to Ooi, since he had so selflessly offered advice to spendthrift and inconsiderate petrol-gulping Malaysians to change their lifestyle, allow me to reciprocate his kindness. My advice to Ooi is to come back to Malaysia, make Malaysian ringgit and pay US$2 for a gallon of petrol. Ooi can also practise what he preaches about reviewing 'our petrol consumption patterns'. In saying this, Ooi joins Noor Yahaya Hamzah of New Zealand in admonishing Malaysians over their reluctance to walk or ride a bicycle instead of taking the car.
Notice how these people are always those who live outside Malaysia? They give their patronising advice from their comfortable homes in First World countries with First World incomes and comfortable climate. It would not be so easy to mete out such generous advice if you were living in a Third World developing nation with your Third World income and sweltering heat.
---------------
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world, the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." - George Bernard Shaw
----------------
Bagaimana Hendak Ubah Gaya Hidup Jika ...
Rozmal Malakan
Letter to Editor
www.malaysiakini.com
Mar 7, 06 3:48pm
Selaras dengan seruan Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak supaya rakyat mengubah gaya hidup bagi menampung kesan kenaikan minyak, berikut diberikan beberapa panduan kepada pelbagai lapisan golongan masyarakat - dari golongan rakyat kepada pemimpin rakyat dan daripada golongan miskin ke golongan kaya - untuk mengubah gaya hidup mereka.
Jika sebelum ini kita kerap makan luar, amalkanlah makan di rumah. Jikalau tiada masa untuk memasak, pastikan mempunyai simpanan mi segera yang banyak. Tetapi kalau orang yang memang tidak pernah makan luar kerana duit belanja dapur hanya cukup untuk makan di rumah, macam mana mereka hendak mengubah gaya hidup mereka?
Jika sebelum ini kita menghantar anak ke sekolah dengan kereta kita, hanya anak kita seorang, maka sekarang kita berpakatlah dengan jiran-jiran untuk bergilir-gilir menghantar anak-anak ke sekolah. Tetapi kalau sekarang pun sudah ramai anak jiran yang menumpang kereta kita, macamana kita hendak mengubah gaya hidup?
Jika sebelum ini kita menaiki kereta ke tempat kerja, maka usahakanlah untuk menaiki motosikal. Tetapi kalau kita memang dari dulu naik motosikal, bagaimana kita hendak mengubah gaya hidup?
Jika sebelum ini kita kerap melancong ke luar negara, maka mulai sekarang melanconglah di dalam negara. Tetapi kalau kita memang tidak pernah pergi melancong ke mana-mana, hanya balik beraya di kampung, bagaimana kita hendak mengubah gaya hidup?
Jika sebelum ini anak kita bawa wang saku RM1 ke sekolah untuk membeli makanan, maka mulai sekarang buatkanlah bekal untuk anak-anak kita. Tetapi kalau anak-anak kita dari dulu lagi kita sudah bekalkan makanan ke sekolah kerana tidak mampu beri wang saku, bagaimana kita hendak mengubah gaya hidup?
Jika sebelum ini kita kerap menonton wayang, berhibur, maka mulai sekarang duduklah sahaja berhibur di rumah, menonton televisyen, bermain dengan anak-anak. Tetapi kalau memang dari dulu kita berhibur dengan menonton televisyen di rumah dan bermain dengan anak-anak, bagaimana kita hendak mengubah gaya hidup?
Jika sebelum ini kita kerap membeli pakaian baru hampir setiap bulan, maka mulai sekarang belilah pakaian baru setahun sekali masa hari raya sahaja. Tetapi kalau kita sekarang pun kita membeli pakaian baru apabila pakaian lama sudah koyak atau lusuh, bagaimana kita hendak ubah gaya hidup?
Jika sebelum ini kita merokok sekotak dua kotak sehari, maka mulai sekarang hisaplah sekotak atau dua kotak seminggu atau berhenti terus. Tapi kalau kita dari dulu pun tidak merokok, bagaimana kita hendak mengubah gaya hidup?
Banyak lagi contoh yang boleh dibawa di sini, cuma tidak mampu hendak menulisnya. Kesimpulannya, orang yang hidup mewah, orang yang berada, buat apa mereka hendak susah-susah untuk mengubah gaya hidup mereka kerana mereka masih mampu untuk berbelanja walaupun minyak naik lebih 30 sen seliter.
Orang yang sederhana hidupnya dan berjimat-cermat mungkin masih dapat bertahan. Bagi orang yang susah, yang tidak boleh lagi mengubah gaya hidup, mereka hanya mampu menadah tangan dan berdoa atau menadah tangan untuk mengemis. Takutilah doa-doa golongan yang sebegini.
--------------
Cnimitz wrote:
"The fact is, despite the mediocre education the government gives to most of us, we can actually do simple maths."
"Understanding, however, does not put food on our tables."
"Unreasonable is when the nation' leaders tell their countrymen to change their already marginalised lifestyles when he himself is driven around in luxury cars while living in mansions and having his petrol paid for by the rakyat's."
-------------------
After conversion, the price per gallon of petrol in Malaysia will be US$2.00 as compared to the US$2.35 average in the US.
-------------------
As person who live aboard , he should know better that the average salary in Malaysia is not USD2000 but RM 2000 (about USD 500.00). For a person with USD 2,000.00 to spend, USD 2.35 per liter is not as bad as a person who make USD 500.00 but have to pay US2.00 per liter.
-------------------
Good one C Nimitz!!!
How to save fuel without really trying (from The Star)
EFFENDI Azmi Hashim talked about the effects of the rising fuel cost and of using public transport to reduce cost (Ride of the common people, A Yuppie's Progress, StarMag, March 5). In addition to running the car, petrol is used to operate just about every electronic function in the car,hence we can think of many ways to save fuel. Malaysians are already practising some of the tips, so they should come naturally.
1. Don't signal - ever
Not that Malaysians use their indicators anyway but it is an even more compelling reason to not waste energy on that blinking light
2. Don't park in multi-storey car parks
Going up and down ramps burns fuel. Better to just leave the car outside on a single yellow line.
3. Don't brake for bumps
Braking burns fuel so just keep accelerating over speed bumps.
4. Commute off-peak
Avoid the rush hour traffic by going into work at 10am and coming home at 3pm.
5. Delay switching on headlights
Wait until it gets really dark or until someone flashes you before switching on headlights.
6. Sing
Radio music is lousy anyway. Sing to entertain yourself instead of letting your Blaupunkt burn more fuel.
7. Carpool
Cram as many people as possible into your Kancil. Besides, the added weight helps with braking.
8. Smoke cigarettes
You will naturally open your window to smoke so this saves on air-cond usage.
9. Coast downhill
Turn off the engine and free up the gear when going down a slope. Let gravity do the work, not petrol.
10. Invest in body kits
Making the car more aero-dynamic with sporty skirting and spoilers reduces drag and fuel consumption.
11. Use 18-inch rims
Big rims mean less tyre material,i.e. rubber. Therefore less rubber is burnt while driving.
12. Drive on the line
Align the middle of the car on the line that divides two lanes on a dual carriageway. This reduces the need to make sharp turns as you are effectively using the racing line.
13. Go through red lights
If you are in front at a traffic light, go straight on. Braking hard for a yellow or red light burns fuel.
14. Use high gears
Try to go from first straight to fourth. Keep the revs to below 1,000rpm.
15. Take MCs
Utilise your entitlement to the max. Every day that you don't go to work is RM saved on fuel, toll, parking, etc.
16. Use the emergency lane
Why sit idle in traffic when you can gain ground efficiently on the extra lane?
17. Speed
The faster you reach your destination, the less fuel you use.
No comments:
Post a Comment