Najib fails to grasp that price hikes hurt, says S'wak DAP
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak fails to understand or acknowledge that the recent diesel and petrol price hikes are hurting everyone's pockets, claimed Sarawak DAP chairperson Chong Chieng Jen.
Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak fails to understand or acknowledge that the recent diesel and petrol price hikes are hurting everyone's pockets, claimed Sarawak DAP chairperson Chong Chieng Jen.
"For an average household in Sarawak's town areas, the conservative estimate of the monthly petrol consumption before the price hike is RM200 (many households actually pay more than this figure).
"With the 20 sen per litre price hike, the additional expenses on petrol consumption alone are RM40 per month. In a year, the additional petrol consumption alone is RM480," he said at a media conference in Kuching today.
Chong ( left ), who is Bandar Kuching MP, was commenting on a reply by the premier to his question raised in Parliament recently regarding the effect of inflation as a result of the price hikes.
He said: "The answer by the prime minister and the quoted Consumer Price Index are totally detached from reality and the additional burden of the diesel and petrol hike suffered by the people on the street.
"The prime minister is trying to portray an image that the recent diesel and petrol price hike by the BN government has no impact on the lives of the general Malaysians.
"The government is using statistical figures to try to justify the price hike," Chong said, pointing out that what Najib and the BN ministers fail to understand or acknowledge is that the price hike in petrol and diesel is hurting everyone's pocket.
He said that besides the increase in the petrol consumption, an ordinary Malaysian has to make do with the increase in prices of food items and daily household consumer goods.
He said: "For an average household, before the price hike, its expenses on food items, daily household consumer goods and children school-going expenses took up at least RM50.
Painful figures to consider
"This again is a very conservative figure with many households in Sarawak paying more."
Chong, who is also Kota Sentosa assemblyperson, added that a conservative estimate now will be that an average Sarawak household will be forking out an additional RM2. 50 per day (a 5 person rise from the RM50 per day expenses).
"This will add up to additional expenses of RM75 per month," he said, pointing out that in a year, an average household will be paying additional RM90 expenses caused by rise in the prices of goods and food.
Chong pointed out that the 20 sen price hike meant that not only annual petrol consumption rising to RM480 but also the average household having to meet additional expenses of RM1,380.
"The prime minister and the BN ministers cannot feel the pinch because they are not required to pay for the petrol of their cars.
"They do not need to go to the markets to shop for food and daily goods, and most of all, whatever the increase in price will not hurt them because such increase is too negligible due to their wealth," he said.
Chong said: "Once again Najib is caught ‘not honouring his promise'. Before the GE13, he promised that he will not increase the petrol and diesel prices.
"Just 100 days after the GE-13, he increased the diesel and petrol prices. Likewise, his promise to lower car prices was also not honoured.
"So much for his ‘Janji ditepati' election pledges," said Chong.
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