Rakyat Are Not Burdened?

malaysiakini, 1 May 2005

Translation

LETTERS: Is it true that hikes "do not burden the rakyat"?
Original by Rozmal Malakan Jun 1, 05

We have been experiencing one price hike after another. To pacify the rakyat, a nice cliche is used - "Will not burden the rakyat".

Hike in toll rates - it will not burden the rakyat.
Hike in petrol price - it will not burden the rakyat.
Hike in diesel prices - it will not burden the rakyat.
Hike in water tariff - it will not burden the rakyat.
Hike in prices of goods - it will not burden the rakyat.
Hike in chicken price - it will not burden the rakyat.
Hike in bus and taxi fares - it will not burden the rakyat.

Every citizen is required to have health insurance - it will not burden the rakyat.

Hike in education fees - it will not burden the rakyat. Recently, I met an old friend who is working in the Student Affairs Department of one of the universities in Selangor. He was most saddened by what a majority of Malay students there are going through. Even after they have secured education loans and the money has been paid to the university, the universoty still has not made available adequate course facilities for students in the engineering field.

Such is the trying scenerio faced by all of us. But we will not pay attention to all of this as long as it did not involve us or our children directly.As one tsunami victim in Aceh said during an interview, we each lead our own lives, each looking out for our ownselves.

And we are soothed by a range of entertainment, concerts, music awards and Hitz music, until we forget to notice the fate of those around us.