Those who publicly protested the fuel price hike last Sunday were seeking accountability and economic justice, not creating social unrest, said DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

This is why Transparency International's (TI) Malaysia chapter should support instead of criticising them, he said in response to the chapter's view that the protest was "unjustified".

"For TI to criticise their right to protest is a great disservice to democracy and basic human rights," Lim said in a statement today.

Instead of opposing street protests, TI Malaysia Chapter president Ramon Navaratnam should support Malaysians in demanding that the government prevents the misuse of oil revenue "by a select few", said Lim.

"For a chair of a respected body such as TI to support the government in violently suppressing peaceful protestors is most uncharacteristic and contrary to the full participatory democratic institutional practice that TI pursues," he said.

On Sunday some 1,500 protestors - led by the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) and several opposition political parties - flooded the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) to protest the recent sharp hike in petrol prices.

The police cracked down on the demonstration and arrested 22 people including PAS treasurer Dr Hatta Ramli and his two daughters.

Crowd provoked

Lim also took on Ramon on his view that such street protests invite the risk of social unrest, stating that such demonstrations have always been peaceful and orderly.

He said that, if there was any social unrest last Sunday, it had come from the police and not the protestors who had valid concerns about their livelihood due to the high cost of living following the 30-sen hike in fuel price last month.

"The police had provoked a peaceful and orderly gathering with beatings and arrests. I witnessed the violence [...] with peaceful protestors beaten with long canes, pushed around by horses and hosed down by water cannons.

"None of the protestors retaliated or were violent even though a child as young as nine years was also [detained]."

Lim said Ramon was also wrong to have endorsed the government's action in increasing fuel prices when it has not properly explained the rationale for this.

Unconvinced Malaysians

"Ramon must understand that the public is not convinced that the RM4.4 billion savings in fuel subsidies from the 30 sen fuel hike will be used for their benefit either in the form of development projects or improvement in public transport."

The fact that no significant benefit has been seen from the billions of ringgit saved in fuel subsidies over the five previous hikes two years ago has compounded the people's suspicions, he said.

Lim said the government has a moral obligation to distribute Petronas' profits to help Malaysians reduce their financial hardship.

"Malaysians can get nearly RM2,000 each per year should the profits be distributed. For 2004, RM35.5 billion in Petronas profits would amount to RM1,500 per person. However not a single sen was given out.

"If a non-oil exporter like Singapore can give S$2.6 billion (RM6 billion) cash to all Singaporeans, especially the poor, why can't the Malaysian government do so when Petronas has earned nearly RM500 billion since its inception in 1971? Oil importer Singapore has given $10.675 billion (RM24 billion) directly to its people since 2000.

"Why is it that Malaysians have not received such grants directly even though we are rich in natural resources until we can export oil?" Lim asked

Flawed calculation

On a related issue, Parti Keadilan Rakyat finance and economy bureau chief Abdul Rahman Othman today challenged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's arithmetic on fuel subsidy savings.

He claimed that the total savings from fuel subsidies under the Ninth Malaysian Plan (9MP) should be RM22 billion and not RM4.4 billion as repeatedly stated by the premier.

"The matter has to be pointed out as because the reason to improve the transportation is in context of 9MP which is for a period of five years. Throughout that period, the total fuel subsidies saved would be RM22 billion.

"What RM22 billion transportation channel does the premier intend to build? This issue was not even raised when subsidies were reduced in the past. Even Minister of International and Trade Industry Rafidah Aziz was unaware of this as she said that the savings were meant for scholarships.

"Only the prime minister knows whether the transportation excuse is genuine or not. One thing for sure is that his maths is all wrong."