Opposition should help solve economic woes - MUST READ

MALAYSIANS are tired of being told over and over again by the Opposition that it can solve the escalating high fuel prices and hence reduce food costs only when it is in control of the Federal Government.

While the gullible may be taken in by this promise, others will realise that no individual or party can hope to achieve this impossible target. Anyone who can do this could become the world’s saviour with every country clamouring for such services. Even the rich nations are facing this plight and are in desperate search of ways to ease their people’s suffering.

Therefore there is no single formula to overcome the present economic and financial crisis due mainly to surging crude prices.Anyone who says they can do this is merely making a promise knowing they cannot deliver on this pledge.It is just a ploy to hoodwink people to achieve a political objective. It is also impossible to halt the rising demand for petrol, diesel and gas by motorists and meet the needs of industry and services.

It is consumer driven and the only way out of this dilemma is to use less fuels. Imported inflation is also responsible for higher production costs. Many products required by industry, agriculture and other users have to be imported and their prices will be determined by the global price of crude oil. These are all external forces completely out of the control of every country. The government may break its coffers to provide cheaper fuel but costs will still go up due to such external factors.

In any case, if the Opposition has the formula to reduce the cost of living, its leaders would be selfish to keep such solutions to themselves and let the people continue to suffer. The right thing for them to do is to share its ideas with the Federal Government, however distasteful this may be, if they had the people’s welfare at heart. They cannot say that they will do it only after they have captured PutraJaya before they implementing such measures to relieve the people’s hardship.

The fact is that they don’t and they are just misleading voters, which is rather insensitive. They should stop playing politics with such issues. Of course it is possible to do what they promised if they should use Petronas’ billions in reserves for this purpose. But how long will this last, perhaps five years at the most. What will happen in the end? In just a few years’ time, the government may not have the money to pay civil servants or pensions.

All development projects will grind to a halt and the same applies to other essential services such as health care, education and financial assistance to the lower income group and the hardcore poor. This is the only way the Opposition can fulfil such an election promise. But most probably by the time the Opposition becomes the government, its leaders, if they are prudent, will have no choice but follow the same polices of the Barisan in dealing with such economic problems.