An anti-GST gathering in Kelana Jaya today proceeded peacefully – with the police keeping their distance and not making any mass arrests.

About 20 police officers were at the vicinity of Kompleks Kastam Wilayah Persekutuan but they left the some 30 protesters to their own devices.

This was a far cry from last year when several NGO members and politicians took to the streets along with many others to protest the implementation of the GST.

At the same venue then, 79 GST protesters were arrested. Last year’s GST protest also garnered tens of thousands of participants across main cities nationwide.

But today's event began peacefully at the customs complex at 10.30am to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the GST. It was led by Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) activist S Arutchekvan.

Participants carried a banner which said, “Apa jadi dengan duit GST?” (What happened to the money gained from GST?).

According to Arutchelvan, who is also a spokesperson for the anti-GST group, the government had failed to effectively control and regulate the GST implementation, as was promised before its implementation.

He also said that he and his group had previously expressed concerns about the extra GST burdens felt by consumers, but the government never heeded their concerns.

Hence, PSM is now hoping that the Customs Department will answer the 15 questions it recently submitted regarding the accumulation of GST revenue.

Speaking of his meeting with Kuala Lumpur customs director Abdul Ghani Othman, Arutchelvan said that the encounter yielded disappointing results.

‘Unable to answer’

“We asked simple questions but the customs director was unable to answer them.

“But he promised he will discuss our questions with the relevant ministry. So we will wait for the feedback,” Arutchelvan told reporters at the entrance to Kompleks Kastam Wilayah Persekutuan.

In response, Abdul Ghani said that he was unable to answer every question brought up by the PSM group because several issues lay beyond his scope of responsibilities.

“I’m only in charge of GST in Kuala Lumpur, and not Malaysia. It’s unfair; officials higher up in the organisation are the ones who have the knowledge and authority to answer the questions.

“You are also asking the ‘wrong’ questions. We will hand these questions to the government,” he added.

Meanwhile, Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) chairperson Badrul Hisham Shaharin said the GST benefits that have been highlighted by the Customs Department were false.

'False information'

According to the SAMM chief, the implementation of GST has burdened the people.

“Every piece of information spread about GST was false. When the government collects tens of billions of ringgit in taxation, the people's lives will deteriorate.

“Regardless of whether we are reporters, police offices or customs officials, we will all feel the burden (of GST),” added Badrul Hisham.

Badrul Hisham, who is also popularly known as Chegubard, said customs officials were unable to answer questions regarding the process mechanism of GST during the meeting.

“Many people have questioned my decision to meet customs officials, but I believe we would have received a similar response had we visited the Finance Ministry.

“The ones that have been championing the benefits of GST were the Customs Department. However, the officials were unable to provide an answer when we enquired about the price of a particular good and service after a price drop.

“The failure of customs officials to answer our questions could mean that the government had not been giving its full focus on GST,” added Badrul Hisham.