Fuel aid ‘dedak’ fails to douse cabbies’ frustration at BN

VOXPOP | Yesterday, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced that all taxi drivers would not only be eligible for BR1M, but that they would also receive fuel aid in the form of 1Malaysia Taxi Aid cards.

While each card is worth RM800 in Petronas fuel, both petrol and gas, he hinted at the possibility of “reviewing” this limit and even increasing it in the future – on one condition.

“I will not forget about taxi drivers, you are a group that is close to the government’s heart. If all of you help me, I will definitely help you,” Najib said.

In response, many of the 10,000 taxi drivers laughed. Najib’s ‘you help me, I help you’ message was clear to all.

Not surprisingly, one of them, Abdul Aziz Yusof, branded the initiative as an election season "dedak” or animal feed, a colloquial term for handouts.

“I will say it as it is – this is dedak that they give out when it is election time. Do you know how long we have been fighting (against e-hailing services)?

“This (fuel aid card) only helps a little bit, it will be gone in two or three months.

“They can’t give money so they give us a card. This is dedak, it’s like they are feeding animals,” he told Malaysiakini when approached.

Abdul Aziz added that the aid did not address the root problem facing taxi drivers like him – the onslaught of e-hailing services on the domestic taxi industry. He blamed the government for not sufficiently reining in such services.

This was the main reason why he is considering voting for the opposition at the May 9 general election.

“We are unhappy, we want fairness. When things are unfair, we want to change the government lah. So, when Tun (Mahathir Mohamad) and Pakatan Harapan come along – tukar,” he said.

Seated next to Abdul Aziz was his friend and colleague, Abdullah Jidin, who chimed in.

“They do not listen to our problems, we want to know the government’s decision on e-hailing.

“We are left waiting for their decision, that’s why we are dissatisfied with the government,” Abdullah said, later flashing his Bersatu membership card at Malaysiakini with a chuckle.

Nevertheless, both men took time off from taxi driving to sit through Najib’s speech and get the fuel aid cards.

Mahathir, who chairs Bersatu and opposition coalition Harapan, had previously urged Malaysians to accept the 'dedak' handed to them by the incumbent BN government but stressed that they should not feel “indebted” to the ruling party as he claimed such handouts were funded by tax money.

“The rakyat can take back their money which has been misused by Umno, but do not give your vote to BN.

“Why should we be in their debt when it is our money given back to us?” the former premier previously said.

‘Too little, too late’

Hailing from Dungun, Terengganu, Hashim Omar (photo) expressed his disappointment over the “just RM800” in fuel aid after travelling long hours and missing two days of work to attend Najib’s event.

“Sometimes I use up to RM150 for fuel in one day. This aid will finish in two months. This won’t solve our problems,” he said.

Similarly, Rosman Abdul Karim came up to Malaysiakini after the event to vent his frustration, saying that the fuel card would not douse the anger taxi drivers had towards the government.

“We have spent three to four hours here, we have lost between RM40 to RM60 just today. We expected some cash incentives.

“You know, 95 percent of taxi drivers are not government supporters, we hate the government. They have ignored taxi drivers.

“If you want a harder life, you can go support the government,” he said, visibly upset.

At the event, Najib had also announced that e-hailing service drivers would from now on be subject to the same stringent regulations as taxi drivers.

However, this did not seem to resonate much with the taxi drivers Malaysiakini spoke to. Many, like Abdul Aziz, remained dissatisfied with the government’s commitment to the industry. 

Rosli Zam, who is part of the KLIA2 Airport Taxi Association, said he wanted more than lip service from Najib.

“Don’t just announce it, I want to see this done,” he said.

Meanwhile, Zaharuddin Manaf expressed that this was all too little, too late.

“We have been sengsara (miserable) for the past three years, but only when election is near they give us this and give us that.

“No matter how much BR1M they give me, it will not be enough.

“I have been working 12-hour days just to earn RM200 (daily). Minus the petrol, toll fares and taxi rental fees, I am left with just RM150. I have two kids and a house to pay for.

“What I earned before this was a lot more,” he lamented.

Nevertheless, Najib’s initiative did receive some support.

Klang cabby Mohan Gopal told Malaysiakini that he disagreed with those drivers who described the aid as election-season 'dedak' or 'gula-gula' (candy).

“For the time being, this card is enough. It is good. Maybe he (Najib) will increase (the limit) if he wins.

“Even though people say this is gula-gula, I don’t want to call it that. But I still take it.” - Mkini