Penghapusan subsidi 34sen/kg ke atas gula bukanlah sebab mengapa harga gula melonjak begitu tinggi di Malaysia, kata DAP Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua.
Walhal punca sebenarnya, ialah tindakan kerajaan untuk melindungi nilai harga gula mentah yang diimport dengan harga yang terlalu tinggi yang membawa kepada keadaan ini, katanya.
Oleh itu, beliau berkata, kerajaan perlu berhenti memberi alasan yang "tidak logik" seperti diabetes dan "menguatkan nafsu seks" untuk mengimbangi potong subsidi, sepatutnya kerajaan hendaklah siasat mengapa perjanjian sebegitu dibuat dan ambil langkah-langkah membetulkannya.
Merujuk kepada perjanjian yang dibuat pada tahun 2012, Pua berkata jika kerajaan tidak melindungi nilai harga gula mentah pada nilai AS$26/100lb untuk tiga tahun, kerajaan tidak perlu membayar subsidi untuk mengekalkan harga gula yang rendah.
Ini adalah kerana harga pasaran global bagi gula mentah hari ini adalah bernilai US$18.91/100lb,iaitu 24% lebih rendah daripada harga yang kita(Malaysia)bayar untuk gula mentah mengikut perjanjian itu.
Beliau berkata, ini bermakna negara kita telah membayar purata sebanyak RM194 juta lebih dari harga pasaran pada setiap tahun.
"Sebab sebenar rakyat 'menikmati' gula dengan harga yang mahal sekarang, adalah kerana kerajaan telah menandatangani perjanjian untuk mengimport gula mentah pada harga yang terlalu tinggi.
"Jika kita telah membayar harga pasaran antarabangsa gula mentah sebanyak US$18.91/100lb, bukan sahaja kerajaan tidak perlu membayar subsidi, malah harga gula juga akan lebih rendah daripada harga RM2.84/kg hari ini," katanya.
Kerajaan abaikan nasihat penganalisis
Pada bulan Januari 2013, Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Kepenggunaan dan Koperasi berkata kerajaan telah menandatangani perjanjian tiga tahun untuk mengimport gula mentah pada harga AS$26/100lb.
Pua, yang kemudian mengeluarkan kenyataan mengkritik perjanjian itu, menunjukkan bahawa pada masa itu, penganalisis telah meramalkan penurunan dalam harga gula mentah kerana bekalan global yang berlebihan.
"Tetapi kerajaan tidak pedulikan nasihat ini,dan Timbalan Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir memberitahu Parlimen bahawa harga gula mentah global dijangka meningkat," katanya.
Pua berkata,memang benarlah,harga gula global menjunam turun serendah AS$16.70/100lb dalam Sepember 2013,iaitu 50 peratus lebih rendah daripada apa yang kerajaan telah membayar.
"Pada Januari lepas Mukhriz dengan sombong berkata:"Biar saya mengingatkan anda semua bahawa kerajaan adalah bijak ".
Hari ini dengan menandatangani perjanjian tiga tahun itu, telah membuktikan bahawa ia adalah satu langkah yang salah yang telah memudaratkan Malaysia," tambah Pua lagi.
Tambahnya lagi,kerajaan perlu menjelaskan mengapa ia mengimport gula mentah bagi pihak Syarikat Malaysia Sugar Manufacturing Bhd dan Tradewinds Bhd.?
"Bukankah lebih baik untuk rakyat Malaysia jika syarikat2 itu digalakkan untuk bersaing dan tidak dilindungi oleh kerajaan?" soal Pua.
Shoddy sugar deal by gov't caused price hike...
The recent removal of a 34sen/kg subsidy on sugar is not the reason why sugar prices are high in Malaysia, says DAP's Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua.
Instead, it was the government's decision to hedge the price of imported raw sugar at too high a price that led to this situation, he said.
As such, he said, the government should stop giving "illogical" excuses like diabetes and "libido" to justify the subsidy cut, investigate why a shoddy deal was made and take corrective measures.
Referring to an agreement in 2012, Pua (right) said that if the government did not hedge raw sugar prices at US$26 per 100 pounds for three years, it would not even need to pay subsidy to keep sugar prices low.
This is because the global market price for raw sugar today is US$18.91 per 100lb, 24 percent lower than the price Malaysia is paying for its raw sugar as per the deal.
He said that this translates to overpaying by RM194 million on average per year.
"The real reason the people are 'enjoying' expensive sugar now is that the government had signed an agreement to import raw sugar at a price that is too high.
"If we were paying the international market price of raw sugar of US$18.91 per 100lb, not only will the government not have to pay subsidy, sugar price will also be lower than the RM2.84/kg today," he said.
Gov't ignored analysts
In January 2013, the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Cooperatives said the government had signed a three-year deal to import raw sugar at US$26/100lb.
Pua, who had then issued a statement to criticise the agreement, pointed out that at the time, analysts had predicted a drop in raw sugar prices due to excessive global supply.
Instead, it was the government's decision to hedge the price of imported raw sugar at too high a price that led to this situation, he said.
As such, he said, the government should stop giving "illogical" excuses like diabetes and "libido" to justify the subsidy cut, investigate why a shoddy deal was made and take corrective measures.
Referring to an agreement in 2012, Pua (right) said that if the government did not hedge raw sugar prices at US$26 per 100 pounds for three years, it would not even need to pay subsidy to keep sugar prices low.This is because the global market price for raw sugar today is US$18.91 per 100lb, 24 percent lower than the price Malaysia is paying for its raw sugar as per the deal.
He said that this translates to overpaying by RM194 million on average per year.
"The real reason the people are 'enjoying' expensive sugar now is that the government had signed an agreement to import raw sugar at a price that is too high.
"If we were paying the international market price of raw sugar of US$18.91 per 100lb, not only will the government not have to pay subsidy, sugar price will also be lower than the RM2.84/kg today," he said.
Gov't ignored analysts
In January 2013, the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Cooperatives said the government had signed a three-year deal to import raw sugar at US$26/100lb.
Pua, who had then issued a statement to criticise the agreement, pointed out that at the time, analysts had predicted a drop in raw sugar prices due to excessive global supply.
"But this was ignored by the government, with then Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Mukhriz Mahathir (left) telling Parliament that global raw sugar prices were expected to rise," he said.True enough, Pua said, global sugar prices plunged to as low as US$16.70/100lb in Sepember 2013, more than 50 percent lower than what the government was paying.
"(Mukhriz) last January arrogantly said: "Let me remind you that the government is smart" by signing the three-year agreement. Today, it is proven that it was a wrong move that has hurt Malaysia," Pua pointed out.
He added that the government also needed to explain why it was importing raw sugar on behalf of sugar duopolies Malaysian Sugar Manufacturing Bhd and Tradewinds Bhd.
"Isn't it better for Malaysians if the companies are pressured to compete and not shielded by the government?" he asked.-malaysiakini
Aid to poor and disabled 'quietly cut' in Budget 2014...
Cuts in allocations for the poor, disabled and senior citizens in Budget 2014 shows disregard for the needy, says Padang Serai MP N Surendran.
Despite "grandly" announcing millions of ringgit in allocations to help this section of society, Surendran said, a comparison with Budget 2013 shows that their sliver of the pie has been reduced even further.
For example, Surendran (left) said, under socio-economic aid, RM 309.26 million allocated to the disabled next year is a whole RM6 million less compared to 2013."With increasing prices and the inflation factor, why reduce economic aid to the disabled? The fact was cleverly and dishonestly hidden by the prime minister when (he made) his announcement (last) Friday," he said in a statement.
Similarly, he said, aid for the poor was "quietly reduced" by RM2.36 million compared with RM272.02 million in 2013.
Senior citizens too will get less, compared with 2013, with the amount allocated for aid down from RM489 million to RM479.71 million in 2014.
As a whole, he pointed out, the total RM1.29 billion allocated for assistance for the poor, disabled and senior citizens only amounted to 0.5 percent of the total budget.
"This is not the Budget of a caring government, and it does not reflect the compassionate nature of Malaysians.
Checks with the Budget 2014 speech showed that the allocation for aid to the poor, disabled and senior citizens make up less than half of that allocated for soft loans via the Maritime Development Fund.-malaysiakini
Bantuan orang miskin, kurang upaya dipotong diam-diam
A CITY COUNCILLOR was told this afternoon by a Pizza Hut manager to get out of their restaurant because of his wheelchair.
Anthony Thanasayan who is councillor for Petaling Jaya and an activist for disabled rights was scheduled to have a lunch appointment with an able-bodied person.
When Thanasayan requested to choose where he wanted to sit with his friend in the half-empty restaurant, he was told point blank by Pizza Hut restaurant manager Niq Ribiya that her outlet had a strict and clear policy not to welcome customers in wheelchairs.
She went on to say that these were the instructions given to her by her Area Manager by the name of Ms Rozita.
Thanasayan and his friend were denied of a meal in Pizza Hut. A complaint was immediately made to Mid Valley's Customer Care Manager Kenny Tan who rushed to the scene.
Please make your strongest protest against Pizza Hut for this shocking discriminatory practice-f/bk
Respond from Pizza Hut...
Inilah dikatakan politik cara professional...
cheers.
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