Lower prices or face street protest, student groups tell govt

 

Two student groups today called on the government to lower the prices of goods, indicating that a failure to do so may result in a street protest.

In a statement today titled “Lower Prices or Go to the Streets”, they condemned the government’s move to remove subsidies and ceiling prices of daily necessities.

The student unions of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and Universiti Malaya (UM) also criticised the government’s recently announced RM100 cash handout.

“We are of the opinion that this decision was made without considering the rakyat’s situation. The abolition of these subsidies will result in the prices of most daily necessities increasing dramatically over a short period of time.

“The increase in the price of these goods will have a negative impact on all walks of life, including students,” they said.

On Tuesday (June 21), Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi announced that the ceiling prices for chicken and chicken eggs, as well as subsidies for bottled palm cooking oil, will not be continued from July 1.

The minister said this is to ensure the food supply will be more stable and that food prices will stabilise in the long run.

The following day, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that families who receive Keluarga Malaysia Aid (BKM) will get an extra RM100 in light of the rising cost of living.

He also expected chicken and egg prices to go up next month after ceiling prices are abolished.

However, the government then U-turned on ceiling prices for chicken yesterday, announcing that a new one will be set soon.

The current maximum prices, which are expected to expire on June 30, are RM8.90 per kg for standard whole chicken and RM9.90 per kg for super whole chicken.

‘Cannot survive on RM100’

On the matter of extra aid for BKM recipients, the IIUM and UM student unions opined the cash handouts cannot help solve the rakyat’s plight.

“The burden of the rising prices of goods and the lack of government aid will burden all layers of society. BKM recipients cannot survive on RM100 for very long if the prices of essential goods are increasing.

“Worse, the government does not have an assistance plan to aid students who are also affected by rising prices.

“The crisis has led to a high inflation rate which indirectly causes a decline in purchasing power,” they said.

The student unions’ call for protest comes a day after Johor’s Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar rebuked a similar call for protest by DAP central committee member Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali.

The monarch, who cited the May 13 riots as well as the Bersih protests, said there were more “constructive avenues” than taking to the streets in dealing with price hikes. - Mkini