When the teaser outshone the payoff

ARMADA has studied the essence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's announcement on July 23 and finds an inconsistency in the government's policy regarding targeted subsidies and not wanting to benefit the "super-rich".

RM100 Sara aid

The Sara RM100 aid is being given to all Malaysian adults.

This means tycoon Robert Kuok, who has an estimated worth of RM50.3bil, also gets RM100 assistance from the government.

Armada believes the government should increase the amount of aid to the needy group so that it has more of an impact than giving it to wealthy individuals.

6 sen decrease in RON95 price

The second matter is regarding the price reduction of RON95 petrol by 6 sen from RM2.05 to RM1.99.

This reduction in the context of ordinary people makes almost no difference. For example, a Myvi has a fuel tank capacity of 36 litres. Previously, the cost of a full tank would be RM73.80. With the new rate, it would cost RM71.64, a saving of RM2.16.

Although this reduction somewhat lessens spending, the "teaser" of the announcement now seems to have been manipulative.

To Armada, this move is an attempt to stop the people from making fun of the Prime Minister's often-quoted campaign slogan, "If we take over the government today, the price of fuel will go down tomorrow."

The 6 sen decrease is only to qualify the announcement as a price reduction, even though it has no significant impact.

Furthermore, this decrease is also temporary before the targeted RON95 subsidy is implemented, and the price may increase beyond RM2.05 per litre.

Conclusion

Considering the timing and context of this announcement, it appears to be a token effort to ease the people's dissatisfaction.

Armada congratulates Perikatan Nasional for successfully urging the Prime Minister to act to ease the people's burden and prove that it is carrying out its role as the Opposition effectively.

Armada also believes that this announcement was made to diminish the momentum ahead of the Himpunan Turun Anwar rally in Kuala Lumpur on July 26.

In conclusion, as the Bahasa Malaysia proverb says, "Indah khabar dari rupa" (the news looks better than the facts), one could describe this announcement as "indah teaser dari intipati" (the teaser looks better than the crux of the matter).

Harris Idaham is head of communication, Armada (Bersatu Youth wing)