2nd Finance Minister should go marketing to ascertain the real increase in prices of goods
DAP National Deputy Chairman and MP for Kepong Dr Tan Seng Giaw urges the Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed to reassess the inflation rate in this country, whether the increase is 2 to 2.5%.
Meanwhile the Government needs an effective mechanism to control price hike and to relieve the anxiety of consumers.
The world crude oil price reaching US$ 100 per barrel, price increase in enriched flour, industrial gas and other goods, attract attention of the public.
Dr Tan refers to the comment of the Second Finance Minister that inflation rate is 4% and that the Government can maintain it on 18.1.2008.
Price increase of goods does not reflect the Government's inflation rate of 4%, that is, an increase of 2 to 2.5%. Consumers find that price hike is 30, 60 or even higher %.
As crude oil price jumps to US$ 100 per barrel, when will the Government approve further increase in the price of gas and petrol. Once the Government gives the nod, the effect will be marked.
Now, the price of gas is RM 24 for every 14 kg. If the price increase is 27 sen per kg, then it will be RM 27.78 for every 14 kg. Most forms of cooking use gas directly or indirectly such as through electricity. Tenaga Nasional Berhad uses mostly gas as fuel.
Tan Sri Nor Mohamed should do marketing personally, to ascertain the real increase in the price of goods. He will find that the inflation rate is more than 4%
The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs gets a 2008 budget allocation of RM 430 million including RM 46 million for cosumerism. Will this be used effectively against inflation? We reiterate that the Government must try its utmost to control inflation. It should not be a question of playing with the figure.
Dr Tan Seng Giaw
posted by Tan Seng Giaw @ 1/18/2008 03:41:00 PM
1 Comments:
Voon Lee Shan is morally corrupt!
One of the few remaining mission schools in Sarawak, St Martin primary school in Muara Tuang, will likely shut down for good. Last November, it was sent an eviction notice from the five-hectare plot of land it occupies.
State Education Director Dr Julaihi Bujang said the 313 pupils in the largely Iban village have been transferred to Sekolah Kebangsaan Muara Tuang, SK Barangan and few other schools in the nearby the Semarahan district.
The trouble started last April, when the landowner Millah Kitat, through her legal counsel Voon Lee Shan, issued a letter giving the Anglican mission that runs the school an ultimatum: Buy the whole 12ha parcel of land on which the school stands or move out within a week.
Millah owns the land under Native Customary Rights (NCR).
When the school failed to move out within the deadline Voon, the DAP state assemblyman for Batu Lintang, served another legal letter demanding RM700,000 compensation within a week, claiming the school had trespassed on Millah's land.
To avoid further legal complications, the state Education Department ordered the school shut.
"The previous land owner Lian Teetat Emparu had divided the land for the Anglican mission to build the school but it was not legalised,” said Julaihi.
"There were some agreements drawn up by the late Emparu. The ‘agreement’ stated that the land would be ‘free of charge’, and the heir or heirs would not develop that portion of land alienated for the school," he said.
Since the agreement was not legalised, it became a point of dispute with Millah, Emparu's daughter, who inherited the land when he died.
"The legal summons issued to us is still on going. The landowner and her legal counsel did not give us much time to negotiate, and there is no way the education department of the mission can come up with the RM700,000 within seven days of the issuance of the letter, dated October 23, 3007," Julaihi said.
The state Education Department, meanwhile, has identified a piece of land near the old school and they have proposed to purchase it.
Julaihi said they are still waiting for the Education Ministry's approval, and this will take some time.
"It will take some time to pay the compensation demanded by the landowner, and it will definitely take more time to purchase land and build a school," he said.
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