I believe that candidates standing for a general election of a country are chosen by the people and put into office to form the government on an understanding that the government is there for the people who voted for them.

What is going on here is the government had put the rakyat (people) into their pocket and took them for granted, like for instance not making their lives better rather poorer and having to tighten their belts deep down their skins.

Everybody knows that the current economy is not looking good for Malaysia especially with the weakening ringgit, so instead of raising prices on tolls and petrol and also for the introduction of 6 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on April 1, 2015 that burden the people by and large, all these should not take place at all in this trying time.

Exactly, the government should go on austerity drives and to take corrective measures like for instance in this case by giving out subsidies to help alleviate petrol prices and toll charges, let alone abolish GST.

Furthermore, as this (toll hike) concerns the livelihoods of the rakyat at large, how come prior to implementing the toll hikes, there was no meeting held to discuss on the matter and issue in Parliament and also why was there no rejection from those parliamentarians voted into office by voters?

Oh yes! This is the answer to the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Deputy Minister Ahmad Bashah Hanipah’s statement, as generally speaking mostly the impoverished or rather to the less affluent people they are already finding it hard (difficult) to survive with costs of living skyrocketing.

In fact, they do not have any more money to cushion off the extra costs of living incurred from price hikes on tolls. So, it is not a question about spending wisely, when they are already broke - out of cash.

At the end of the day, the spiralling costs over these prices hikes and payments for the recently imposed 6 percent GST will spill-over to the consumers (when traders and businessman increase prices to recover the additional costs).

The government should instead defer the implementations of these price hikes to a later date when the economy recovers and the ringgit appreciates.

Right now, the government is giving consumers the cold shoulder. Do you expect traders and businessmen to absorb the extra costs? No! They, too, will say that they can no longer absorb the additional costs incurred from toll hikes as there had been a few other price hikes since 2014.

Look at other ways

However, the government could look at other ways to increase it operation revenues such as:

1. Use part of traffic fines from motorists caught speeding on highways/expressways.

2. Use part of road tax payments.

3. Use part of tax on tyres.

4. Use part of duties and taxes paid for registrations of new cars sold.

5. Use part of profits from petrol sales.

6. Use part of profits from consumers who have paid for related things, parts and services to repair or to maintain the car or vehicles.

Thus, this will relieve consumers and motorists from the need to pay tolls or for petrol price hikes, perhaps GST as well. This, as a result, will lessen the burdens faced by consumers.

The bottom line is what will it be like when Malaysia is forced to lay claims as a developed nation by 2020 especially when the living status of the rakyat (people) are not better of than it was before 2020. And, besides with raising cost of living escalating so fast even with a fixed minimum take home wage/pay, it would demean the nation’s achievement.

LAU BING is a community activist and writer in Subang Jaya.