Only 88 days on the throne, and the Chairman of the ruling PBN (Parti Barisan Nasional not Projek Babi Negara) has this to announce...
The new price of premium leaded petrol (ULG 97) is RM2.70 per litre beginning midnight tonight, it was announced a moment ago. The price for ULG 92 petrol per litre went up by 74 sen to RM2.62. Diesel will go up by RM1 per litre to RM2.58. The 78 sen hike or 40 per cent increase for the ULG 97 petrol is still below the anticipated RM4 per litre price projected earlier and among the cheapest in Asia. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at a news conference.
He also announced the giving of rebate for lower-income vehicle owners. According to the new fuel-subsidy scheme, vehicles below 2000cc will receive RM625 annually - a rebate of 800 litres under the new price. Motorcyle owners will be given a rebate of RM150.
Even with the rebate, it will only cover about half of the price increase born by the rakyat.
It is understood that the cash rebates will be given when vehicle owners renew their road tax.
The price hike is one of the steps taken by the government to control subsidy for the increase in petrol, diesel and gasoline, which is estimated at RM56 bilion this year. The government anticipates to save RM4 bilion under the new subsidy scheme.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said that the government will scrap ceiling prices on petrol and diesel in August, and allow market forces to determine pump prices after incorporating a new subsidy system for lower-income groups.
If petrol is sold at the full market price, it would hit almost RM4 a litre.
People in Sabah and Sarawak will be the most unfortunate people when the full price is implemented. What with the poor public transportation and the vast areas to commute daily. The government must not overlook this. Otherwise, will there be another March 8 incident, only this time in the current BN stronghold of Sabah and Sarawak?
Sources: New Straits Times & Malaysiakini
Updated 6/6/2008:
Govt To Announce Four Swift Measures To Ease Burden On Consumers
PUTRAJAYA, June 6 (Bernama) -- The government will announce details on four swift measures by early next week aimed at easing the burden on consumers as a result of the recent sharp increase in fuel prices and electricity tariffs, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Friday.
In a meeting with senior editors here, he said the four measures entailed cost-saving measures by government departments and agencies, expanding the social safety net for people in the lower income bracket and under-privileged groups like single mothers and the handicapped, enlarging the list of controlled items to keep costs down, and improving public transport like putting more buses on the roads.
For more, go to http://www.bernama.com/
Updated 14/6/2008:
INFORMATION ON CASH REBATES FOR FUEL SUBSIDY
Pos Malaysia Berhad (PMB) has started to disburse Cash Rebates to eligible private vehicle owners from today.
Road tax effective 1 April - 31 May 2008 can claim from today till 31 March 2009.
Road tax effective 1 June 2008 - 31 March 2009 can claim from 1 July 2008 (Tuesday) onwards.
26 comments:
With the car rebates, there's no use in buying a car. Roadtax rebates ... that's once a year thingy... filling the cars with petrol/diesel.. now that's what we do almost every day to go to places!
Will Sabah/Sarawak with strong BN supporters (I'm not one of them!) be spared? We all know we'll be the ones that will suffer the most....
I know I'l be affected coz my workplace is 25km away and I hv to drive myself. Carpooling is out coz we dun get off work at the same time. Public transportation is almost non-existent to that area. Pity we ppl who live in Sabah n Sarawak.
At first, I thought it was a joke, cos it's not the end of the month when they usually increase the petrol price. 4 pax had smsed me with the news.
After watching a cheap Wednesday RM6 movie (Narnia)at King's, we saw so many cars jamming the Shell station opposite at 11pm. Then i realised, this is for real!
After calculating, RM0.80 x 30litres = RM24 = 4 more cheap Wed movie tickets, I got all excited and decided to fill up my car.
"Hmm...there should be less cars outskirt", I thought.
Reached Delta Shell, wah, so many cars at the traffic light. The station cordonned off the entrance, and the loudspeaker announced, "Mo Ni Ngai, Mo Ni Ngai" - no more petrol! So, I gostan, and proceeded to the Petronas beside Tung Hua.
Alamak!
The queue also so long! I think think, see here see there, Ah!
Got one lubang!
So, I quickly drove against traffic and plonked my car in the empty space.
After 4 cars, it was my turn :)
"Kasi dia penuh" I instructed the pump attendant.
RM30...RM40...RM50...
"Kasi dia sampai RM70" I uttered in hopeful anticipation.
The meter stopped running.
RM55.
"Boleh, boleh. Lagi, masuk lagi. Boleh punya. RM60 lah..."
"It will spill out", my wife hissed.
"Lagi...lagi" was all I could manage, clouded by the clock which showed 20mins to midnight.
The petrol trickled in.
There were dozens of cars behind me. Nobody honked, surprisingly. They only watched as a Chinaman rocked the side of his car to get it to swallow more petrol.
RM57.20.
"Bolehlah...."
I drove away, with a satisfied smirk on my face. The clock showed 11.45pm.
Behind me, the static queue snaked endlessly.
Allo Ben, when r u going to start ur own blog ah? Write here long long.. wat abt i make u my guest blogger? Then once in a while u can blog long long.
Walk or cycle! Economical, healthy and environment-friendly!!! Not knocking off work is not a good excuse NOT to car-pool. We HAVE to make some sacrifices. A little inconvenience won't kill u!!! My colleague would wait in school till 3 pm for hubby who taught in 10th Mile!!! As for me, I just stay at home lor....Hehehehehehehe!!!!!
STP, knock off early? If i do that, i'd hv to bring all the files back. Got deadlines to meet bah. Sigh.. Wait till i get to your age +2, then i can relax. Or change job hehe..
we dont have much of a choice . public transportation sucks
Yup, it sucks big time, especially to the outskirts. That's why van sapu is thriving.
I think people today are a spoilt-rotten lot!!! My time, I cycled from one end of Sibu to the other to go to school...or use the rickety buses, non-aircon and no need to talk about the service! There were few cars then...so not jammed everywhere!
For one thing, I cant understand why people must buy those huge petrol-guzzling, road-bullying vehicles like Hilux and the like!!! Sibu, everywhere in the town is near and the raods are narrow. Even the parking spaces not big enough for them...and they always go SO fast!!! What do they have to carry? Their coffins???
Hope the petrol price will go up some more...and those poeple can pay thru their teeth!!!
Well, if people in Singapore can car pool (Is it any less convenient for them?)...and pay when they want to enter the restricted area in the city centre, why can't we? Chesh!!! Malaysians' spoilt rotten that's why!!!...Life has been too good all this while because some people afraid they will not get the votes!!!
"Will Sabah/Sarawak with strong BN supporters (I'm not one of them!) be spared? We all know we'll be the ones that will suffer the most...."
In 1992, I went to KK...and it was a horrible, stinking place...and I never wanted to go again. But look at KK now!!! Isn;t it so much nicer and better?...Why?...I really wonder whether people think that if the opposition had come into power, all these problems will NOT arise?.....Rising oil prices, dropping rice supplies, global warming...aren't these problems everywhere?...We just need to change our lifestyles, that's all...and pay for OUR sins and the sins of OUR ancestors!!!...Count our blessings and be thankful that we are spared those horrendous disasters as in Myanmar and China!!!!
Atcho! STP, Dun lah be angry, later the blood pressure shoot up. Choy.. touch wood!
The big cars ah (hubby has one, so got to explain) are for off-road driving. Last time ah u knw the road linking the towns in Swk were not tarred, some parts are still like that (Mukah oil palm plantation). Sm more, big cars are more comfy and safer when travelling esp when the kids r growing up plus all the luggage. And i guarantee hubby doesnt drive like a jerk, at least not when i'm sitting next to him.
Eh STP, you talk like a YB.. Ever thought of running for office? You have many acquantainces and blogger friends. Got chance you know... Not only Tony Puah can do it, Suituapui also can!
STP, here you go again calling people nowadays spoilt-rotten... It's not that we don't want to cycle, can lah... I don't mind the exercise at all... but do you think the crimes rate nowadays are the same as your earlier days? And the roads here in Sabah (not sure about Sarawak), you think there are street lights everywhere? Is it safe for us women to cycle in the dark after work? :P It'll take about 2 hours for me to cycle to go back home from work... and in East Malaysia, it does get dark faster than them in West Malaysia, isn't it?
It's inevitable for the price hike, but they could do it at stages, not drastically.. we need to be prepared, that's all we want.. is that too much to ask?
Well Melbie, you hv a good point there.
STP, if I cycle, I need to start at 5am to reach school by 7. If i cycle back in the afternoon under the hot sun, there is a high chance of heat stroke and skin cancer, not to mention the damage done to my skin and hair. I'l hv to spend more on skin/hair care n protective clothing.
Also I'l hv to wake up at 4am. As I normally sleep at 11 or 12pm, so that gives me only 4-5 hrs of daily sleep. I'l need to take more ginseng n other nutritious food, that spells $$$. Otherwise due to lack of concentration on the road or at the workplace, an accident happens, touch wood... will it still be healthy or economical?
Carpooling is out coz i dun go home directly after school (besides not getting off work when the last bell rings) as i hv a late lunch at my mom's place.
So, only way is change my lifestyle loh.. less shopping, shop only at discount stores or squeeze btwn the horde of shoppers at the mall when there's a clearance sale, no more facial/hair treatment, no more eating out or yum char or movie going... boohoohoo... what kind of life is that?
Of course, you can't cycle! Your school is so far! People in KK can't cycle! Neither can people in Kuching. Every place is so far from one another. But you can (or use a motorbike or walk) if you're going to the shop in the neighbourhood...or some place nearby in the town)...and there are many things one can do to ease the already aggravating situation!!
If nobody's going to even try to change their ways to adapt to the newly-inflicted circumstances, then just shut up and pay the money!!! Grumbling won't change things ONE bit!!!! In fact, it makes it worse cos u feel bad...and all this leaves a sour taste in the mouth!!
And melbie. I've been to KK and I went by road to the small, small towns to give talks to teachers and students. Come to Sarawak...and you tell me about bad roads!!! Take the timber road from Bintulu to Belaga and you tell me about poor road conditions!!! U people get all those good roads cos UMNO took over...unlike "those days"!
Crime rate? Even if u lock urself in the house, if it will happen, then it will happen. All these social problems stem from ONE thing! MONEY!!! And that is the cause of the current stae of unhappiness that I see around me.
Coral may be able to complete this: God grant me the serenity............
...please refresh my memory on that one, Sir! Hehehe...
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other. You holy-molly one, go church all the time like Ben...just pretend only!!!!! LOL!!!
Yes dear Sir Suituapui, I for one is changing my lifestyle.. I'm simply voicing out my dissatisfaction, doesn't mean I don't want to change.. and you know something? I wouldn't mind trading the lifestyle today for the old days ... I'm complaining about the people that's heading UMNO now, not then ... I have my utmost respect for the previous ones, especially Tun Dr. Mahathir ... but even he quit the party... why? We all know the answer ...
Yes, even if we lock ourselves under lock and key, the crime will happen.. but there's no harm trying to avoid it when we can, doesn't it? Rather than meeting them head on unnecessarily. I'm one of those that support GREENER environment... so I can live without the luxury of having a car ... I've had my share of using kerosene lamps to study at nights too.
If voicing out the dissatisfaction would mean grumbling, then by all means, we are all doomed for sure... this is one way of being heard, hopefully someone that have the power to do something will come across all these "grumbling"... we don't have to compare how the roads in Sabah is so much better than the ones in Sarawak, for in the end, I'm pretty sure there are places that much like the same .. I know you've travelled far in this land, but the ones you described, we have that here too... like I said before, it's us in East Malaysia that will feel the impact most...
now that is the longest comment I've left anywhere so far! LOL ...
Coral, please delete the 'first' long comment.. used a wrong 'name' hahhaha
STP, it only shows that my memory is beginning to fail me, hehehe..
Melbie, already deleted the post. Haha.. I'm honoured to hv u post ur longest comment here. :)
I just typed another long comment...but I've deleted it. Not going to comment anymore on this (and that's why I avoid posting on such things in my blog);just waste my time only...I'd just stick to my serenity prayer...and hope my life will be serene...and happy...AND BLESSED!!! (See! Wanted nyonya chang...and suddenly, an old friend sent to the house!!!)
Sometimes we get caught in the hustle n bustle of life that we forget to count the little blessings we hv. Oh what bliss! Sm1 sent u nyonya chang. Sm1 also gave us chang juz now. We r truly blessed. :)
What? Suituapui doesn't want to comment on this anymore? Hehe... now that's new ... :-P and no fun! LOL
For the record, I do count my blessings too ... hehehe but that doesn't mean we cannot voice our opinions on the current issues that'll surely affect our lives .. if we all just stick to the serenity prayers ... there'll be no comments on such issue anymore kan? hehehe
Not good for old people!! HP shooting up!!! Better stick to my own blog - food and fun...happy happy always! Baru long life like dat!!! So many blogs...so depressing one!!! Bad for health...especially for old people!
BTW. that word verification is such a nuisance!!! Very few blogspotters use these days!
Melbie, that's the difference btwn us ladies and the gentlemen. We talk to get things off our chest, they do other stuff, hehe..
Ok STP, no more word verification nuisance. Don't lah marah marah...
Ya oh kan Coral.. we prefer to talk these things off our chests.. keep them to ourselves, and that's when the BP starts to shoot up.. eh STP, what's HP? Handphone? :-P he marah² maybe everywhere he goes talk about these depressing topics.. so he get depressed lor ... hehehe
Hehe... HP = Handphone? LOL Melbie, luckily STP didn't read that... or did he? Hehehe...
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