Najib Fumbles Again : The Kangkung Strike Back. Mr PM Please Read This Blog Post. You Dont Understand Things Well.

This is from The Star :

Najib hits back at kangkung critics

• Najib Tun Razak said he used kangkung to explain supply & demand 
• I like to eat kangkung 
• I gave example on the principle of supply and demand which decide the prices of some of the food commodities which are not subject to price controls," he said.
• the vegetable was only one example of food items used by the public. (Huh ??)
• "..use existing laws against any trader who charges too high" 
• he and deputy would go down to the ground to check on prices 

Big mistake Mr PM.  You really are being misled by your advisors and consultants.  Now the people whom you are insulting (ie the members of the public) will associate you with kangkung and quail (kangkung dan puyuh). Just wait and see.

Mr PM the mistake you made was that you accused the people, the rakyat, the citizens, the ordinary man in the street that they were not grateful to you and your gomen when the prices of kangkung went down. Dont believe me? Listen to yourself.

This is what you said : 

• masa naik dia persalahkan kerajaan...
• bila dah turun kenapa tak puji kerajaan 
• Ini tidak adil

These were your own words.  Mr PM please think. Why should the rakyat have to be thankful to you when the price of kangkung goes down? 

As you rightly put it, kangkung price is subject to supply and demand. You yourself said it. The price of kangkung is not dependent on you or your gomen.

So why did you say that the rakyat should be thankful to you and your gomen when the price of kangkung goes down? You even said 'Ini tidak adil'. 

That is why people are making fun of you. You do not seem to understand simple basic things. If left to market forces the people will not blame you for high prices. 

The people never blamed you for the up and down movement of kangkung prices.  

People are blaming you for the prices of goods, foods and services that are INDEED THE SUBJECT OF PRICE CONTROLS. 

Prices that are determined by you and your gomen, either directly or indirectly through your policies.

Here is a short list :

1. Minimum wages RM900 (a killer, determined by you)
2. Price of petrol (determined by you) 
3. price of electricity (a TNB monopoly, price determined by you & JJ)
4. price of sugar (a monopoly - removal of subsidy determined by you)
5. price of rice (a Bernas monopoly - price determined by you)
6. the price of cars (monopolised by Proton - price determined by you)
7. price of almost all imported products (subject to APs controlled by your cronies) 
8. price of postage (minimum 60 sen now - determined by you, just before Syed Mokhtar bought POS)
9. toll rates - determined by you 
10. quit rent hiked up - determined by you
11. price of steel - determined by you, through import controls
12. price of cement - determined by you, through import controls
13. price ("and other costs") suffered at Puspakom
14. price ("and other costs") suffered at Metrology (a monopoly that calibrates all mesin timbang, including those used to weigh kangkung)
15. taxi fares (determined by you)
16. express bus fares (determined by you)
17. school bus fares (determined by you)
18. train fares (determined by you)
19. LRT and MRT fares (determined by you)
20. digital tv infra charges (determined by you)
21. Langkawi ferry fares (determined by you)
22. Lesen perniagaan DBKL - determined by you (gone up)
23. Price of Mandarin oranges - determined by you (import controls)
24. price of baby formula - determined by you (import controls)
25. price of my cigars - determined by you (APs)
26. price of hiring foreign maids (a killer, determined by you)
27. price of hiring foreign workers (another killer, determined by you)
28. price of imported beef - (determined by you - AP is controlled by one person)
29. price of medicine supplied by Pharmaniaga (determined by you, its a monopoly)
30. Dear readers, can you all please add to this list. Thank you. The PM needs an economic primer on managing the country.

and a thousand other prices.  

There are NO market forces or very little market forces operating here. I am not saying market forces must operate here. Let me repeat (in case your boys twist things around). I am not saying market forces must operate here. 

I am pointing out the fact that in Malaysia market forces DO NOT determine the prices of the things on this list - plus many, many more.

Dear Prime Minister please look at that list again. Do you see kangkung on that list? No you dont.

Why? Because kangkung is NOT a price controlled or price regulated item. Kangkung depends on market forces. No one blamed you for kangkung prices going up or down.

Therefore your point that "bila (harga kangkung) dah turun kenapa tak puji kerajaan" is completely out of place. It is an illogical statement. 

No one mentioned kangkung. Who mentioned kangkung? You did. You mentioned an item that is NOT subject to price controls. 

So which prices are the people complaining about? Look at the list again. The people are complaining about the prices that are determined by you Sir, Najib Tun Razak the Prime Minister of Malaysia. 

Not the prices determined by the market forces of supply and demand.  Whether we like it or not, the market forces are more ADIL. They do not discriminate. 

We cannot say the same for all these "controls" that we have in our economy. All these "controls" need good and careful management. This is where you and your gomen are falling down. You are not managing things well. That is what the people are complaining about.