KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Putrajaya must ensure that its
policies do not beggar Malaysians, said a Muslim group when warning that rising
costs could create conditions conducive to a public uprising similar to the
2011 “Arab Spring”.
Criticizing the up to 20 sen increase to petrol prices
today, the Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM) said the hike as well as
the Goods and Services Tax (GST) were piecemeal and disorganized attempts to
address a systemic issue with the wastage of public funds.
“The economic independence of the public must be based on
free incentives (free from political interference) and competitiveness based on
efficient fiscal planning.
This way, the public will not become ‘beggars’ and
forced to tighten their belts on their own land,” the group said today.
This way, the public will not become ‘beggars’ and
forced to tighten their belts on their own land,” the group said today.
“We don’t want the tragedy of Mohammad Boauzazi in Tunisia
(which sparked the Arab Spring) to happen in our country! If it occurs, it will
send the country into a political crisis that would only lead to further
suffering among the public.”
- Boauzazi was a Tunisian street vendor who reportedly immolated himself in 2011 to protest harassment by local authorities and was, according to popular accounts, the trigger of the public uprisings there and elsewhere in the Middle East that were dubbed the “Arab Spring”.
The increase prompted PKR MP Rafizi Ramli to press Putrajaya
to reintroduce the fuel subsidies it eliminated last year, after he pointed out
that pump prices were rising despite oil getting cheaper globally.
Yesterday, a survey by recruitment firm JobStreet found that
nine in 10 Malaysians cited difficulty in coping with the higher costs of
living following
the introduction of GST in April.
the introduction of GST in April.
- The prices of RON95 and RON97 petrol went up by 10 sen and 20 sen respectively yesterday.
Source: Malay mail
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