PAS MP laments Chinese forced to work during CNY amid weak economy

 

PARLIAMENT | A PAS lawmaker today lamented the struggles of the Chinese community who were forced to work over the Chinese New Year due to the weakened economy.

Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman (PN-Bachok) cited online comments on social media, stating that it reflected the realities faced by the people.

“A few days after Chinese New Year, the prime minister (Anwar Ibrahim) said that the national economy was still good.

“There was a comment (made on social media) that on the second day of Chinese New Year, there were many Chinese (people) selling food at the night market. Imagine how hard (it is) to earn money nowadays,” he told the lower house today.

Syahir (above) relayed his own experiences when taking a Grab ride on the first day of the Chinese New Year, where he encountered a Chinese driver working that night.

“I said hello and wished a ‘Gong Xi Fa Chai’. He smiled back and we began talking.

“On the day of the festival, he had to drive Grab. This is a real citizen, not a cybertrooper. It’s real people.

“But the government denies not caring (for the people),” he added.

The ringgit’s declining value has led to criticism from various quarters, including the opposition, on the government’s handling of the economy.

Anwar said on Sunday that other Asean currencies such as the Japanese yen and Chinese renminbi were also declining and not just the ringgit, with the Singaporean dollar being the only currency in the region bucking the trend.

The ringgit has been hovering around the RM4.76 to RM4.78 mark compared to the US dollar in the past few days of trading. - Mkini