Even in Najib's hometown, people feel the pinch of rising costs

As Malaysia's economy continues to grow with a strong gross domestic product (GDP), the same can't be said about the wallets of its citizens.

The rising cost of living continues to be felt by many people, and even in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's own constituency Pekan, the grumblings can be heard.

"Living in Pekan now is like living in a big city...The cost of goods go up but wages do not," said Rohani Abdullah (in photo), a housewife and mother of six.

"The basic salary here in Pekan is just RM1,000," she added.

Among those earning such low wages was her eldest son, Mohd Noor Azri Zulkifli, 26, who is working at a local factory.

Her husband similarly experienced low and stagnant wages as a local factory worker, until he switched jobs and became a lorry driver.

But even this had unintended economic consequences for the family.

"We are not getting BR1M (1Malaysia People's Aid) this year. I'm not sure, maybe they updated the system and saw that my husband got a pay raise.

"But its not much, his basic salary is just RM1,300, so because of an RM100 raise, we are not getting BR1M, but my husband is not bothered to go and sort this out," she said, adding that when the family did receive BR1M, it had helped to cope with expenses in the short term.

An hours drive away from the city centre, in Felda Chini, a similar story is told by settlers.

"With fuel prices up, so has cost of living," a 30-year-old resident who only wanted to be known as Saiful Aiman, 30, said when met at a ceramah by Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Wednesday.

One settler who wished to only be known as Razali, said it is not that settlers can't make ends meet, but only that it is increasingly difficult to do so.

He blamed this on fluctuating palm oil prices affecting the livelihoods of settlers.

"Things are harder now. Before Najib was prime minister, things were better, we are feeling the pinch now," the 60-year-old said.

Razali's sentiments are what the opposition seeks to capitalise on, blaming Najib and the BN government for the rising cost of living by imposing the GST, removing fuel subsidies, and mismanagement of public funds.

But for some Pekan residents, including Rohani, it is not fair to pin the blame for rising costs on the prime minister.

"We don't blame the (prime) minister, this (rising goods) is due to global factors, the moving of time. You can't compare prices then and now," she said.

Some even claim that there is no economic pinch to be felt, painting a rosier picture of the situation.

Ramli Abd Jalil (in photo above), 54, said that everything is good in Pekan, and that the GST doesn't really affect him or others.

"People don't complain," he said.

Last December, celebrity figures such as Sheila Majid caused a public stir, when she raised concerns about the price of goods, which later became a talking point at the Umno general assembly.

Early last month, Ameer Ali Mydin - the managing director of popular hypermarket chain Mydin - said that the country's high GDP figure did not translate into more purchasing power for consumers, and the people were spending less on groceries.

The government in response to this has been organising "Jualan Sentuhan Rakyat" pop-up markets which sell goods at lower prices.

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Hamzah Zainuddin remarked that it was possible to buy groceries for a family of four, including chicken and fish, at the government market with just RM85. -Mkini