Why only find fault with small retailers at shopping malls and force the shopkeepers to make a cash refund to the customers for something they purchased from the shops at ‘exorbitant’ prices, that the buyers reckon is tantamount to cheating?

These are small-timers (small fries). They (traders) are there to ‘cari makan’. Indeed, making a living is really difficult for them at a time of economic slowdown as well as from various reductions on government subsidies and price increases due to implementation of 6 percent Goods and Services Tax (GST) on April Fools’ day, April 1, 2015.

As a result the cost of living has skyrocketed. So, any interference or disruption of business will greatly affect their earnings for the day.

So over to Ali Tinju, give them (these handphones traders) peace and leave them alone. Go find other venues to hold the ‘demonstrations’ or ‘protests’ but do not disturb the minority businessmen. And bear in mind that people seldom buy on an impulse any more these days - they are more prudent in their spendings. That means how could anybody cheat anyone under such circumstances?

Now, how come nobody checked out food prices and a list of things sold in hypermarkets - as none sell at the same prices. So, looking from the same angle as Ali Tinju, the consumers are ‘cheated’ into buying stuff that they thought are a bargain; cheap, cheap, cheap.

There you go, this is addressed to you, Ali Tinju, to show yourself with your mates on behalf of consumers to get hypermarket operators not to overprice their food items and a host of other things sold under their roofs.

This should be the right direction to take and the rakyat will thus not see you doing something to deviate the public attention from current political issues.

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