Upset Malaysians dismiss Putrajaya cash handout, believe fuel price hike precursor to more bad news
People queue up at petrol station to refuel their tanks in Petaling Jaya.
(TMI) – Well, the government has got nothing to worry about now because the elections are over.
Thousands of outraged Malaysians queued up for fuel last night ahead of a price hike, venting their anger at Putrajaya for cutting subsidies while promising more cash handouts to offset a 20-sen rise in pump prices.
Most of them when met in petrol stations in the Klang Valley pointed out they are not eligible for Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) cash handouts which the Najib government had promised to increase in Budget 2014.
That special handout of RM500 was paid to some five million households earning RM3,000 a month and below
They also felt that the pump price rise was sudden and suspect more bad news in the form of the controversial goods and services tax (GST) will soon follow. The tax has been on the drawing board for the past decade but has yet to be law.
Before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the fuel price hike that would save the government RM3.3 billion annually, RON95 was sold at RM1.90 per litre while diesel was RM1.80 per litre. After midnight it was RM2.10 and RM2.00 respectively.
A businessman who wanted to be known only as YK said the price hike will definitely burden those from the lower-income group.
BR1M, he said, will not make a difference as not everyone is eligible for the special handout.
“It does not make a difference to me because I am not eligible for it. The cost of living will still go up for me,” the 45-year-old told The Malaysian Insider.
YK, along with insurance agent Nor, 34, were among those who queued up for at least 45 minutes at the Bandar Puteri petrol station in Puchong last night following the prime minister’s announcement.
Nor, who is also not eligible for BR1M, said the hike would really hit those who had families.
“Everyone knows the cost of living will go up when the price of petrol increases. It came as quite a shock to me (the announcement),” said the mother-of-two.
“It is not fair. Not everyone gets the BR1M. Although it won’t make a significant change, it is still something.”
YK agreed, noting that from today onwards, everything, from food to household items, would cost at least 20 sen more.
