KUALA LUMPUR: The people need to give space, time and cooperation to the government, which is working to address the issue of rising prices of goods and the cost of living through various interventions to reduce the impact on the public, says an analyst.
Universiti Teknologi Mara School of Media and Information Warfare Studies’ security and political analyst Dr Noor Nirwandy Mat Noordin said the people should not do anything that could disrupt the government’s efforts, such as organising demonstrations, because it would not solve the problem.
He said rallies and protests in the streets were seen only to create an emotionally-charged atmosphere and at the same time would bring various elements of anger, contrary to the culture, morals and ethics of the country.
He added that such actions could trigger provocative elements, when there are subversive elements that intervene in the rally so as to contradict the basic motives of organising a rally.
He called on the people to get authentic information and understand the current situation in order not to get caught up in reckless actions that would not be beneficial to the country.
“We also need to look at the report of the Malaysian Competition Commission (MyCC), whether there is ‘cartel’ involvement in the increase in the price of goods and taking advantage of the public instead of just looking at short-term solutions, because the increase in the price of goods cannot be fully controlled by the government alone.
“Do give space and time to the government to resolve this matter through the right channels,” he told Bernama.
Noor Nirwandy also hoped that the government would take comprehensive intervention measures if there were “cartel” elements behind the increase in the price of goods, once the MyCC report is released later.
On Friday, Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa was reported to have said that the imbalance between supply and demand was one of the reasons for the increase in the price of goods in the market at the moment.
He said because of that, the government had set up the special task force on inflation, which he chaired, to find ways to balance the supply and demand of goods in the market.
Meanwhile, Kelab Belia Prihatin Malaysia chairman Luqman Hakim Md Zim said organising such rallies was not wrong as it was allowed by the laws in the country, but the participants had to adhere to the laws.
“We understand that in the current situation, there are young people who have views and feelings that they want to express without aggression and violence.
“In Malaysia, we have faced demonstrations from various parties.
“The demonstrations were peaceful and successful.
“We as the young leaders should think wisely about which one we want to do,” he said.
Luqman also said economists should come forward to share their views and help refine the approach to providing subsidies, so that the benefits could be provided to those in need.
