AN apple a day keeps the doctor away is a well-known saying which many people take it literally to heart.
They buy apples for their health-giving benefits and these fruits grace not only the tables of the ultra-rich but also among humble folks.
A visit to the sick in hospital is invariably accompanied by a basketful of these green or red skin rinds.
There are also the popular oranges—those bright reddish-yellow juicy citrus fruits which, your doctors will tell you, contain so much of vitamin C essential to maintaining your health.
And don’t forget those bunch of succulent, bulb-shaped fruits called grapes dressed up in green, purple or red that are the favourites in palatial homes and even simple abodes. They, too, are packed with numerous compounds that help you stay healthy
Apples, oranges, and grapes have been on our dining tables since time immemorial and men, women and children have been enjoying them from the dawn of childhood to the sunshine of adulthood.
Nowadays, people have even cultivated a taste for pears and avocados which, too, are packed with nutrients.
But soon all these nourishing fruits will disappear from the tables of Malaysian homes because they will become too expensive.
One political leader has decided that these mostly imported items must be taxed because they are all non-essential.
The fruits are no longer regarded as necessary to keep you in good shape.
The poor fruits have become the victims of a sales and service tax (SST) which is guaranteed to keep them out of reach of ordinary people. They can only salivate at the sight of these mouth-watering gifts of nature.
Recall those happy times when homes would ring with the shouts of children as they tugged at their mothers.
“Mak, mak saya nak apple!” And when they saw the apple, see the joy and sparkle in their eyes as they lovingly nibbled its flesh.
Today the same scene will be replayed in many homes but this time, the joy will be replaced with a tinge of sadness.
“Mak, mak, mana apple?”
“Tak ada apple, sayang. Sekarang buah itu mahal. Nah, ambil rambutan.”
And so the child will sulk in the corner all because Uncle Anwar considers the fruit a luxury item and consumers must pay a higher price with the coming into force of the SST from July 1.
(Editor’s note: On June 26, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has announced that apples and oranges will be exempted from SST)
But the ultra-rich will not feel the SST bite. All this while, so the story goes, the affluent have been getting away with consuming these fruits at no cost to their ultra-deep pockets, and so they must be made to bear the SST brunt.
Will it be a big problem for them forking out some extra cash? No sweat! They will continue to sink their teeth into these now forbidden fruits in the garden of Madani.
It will be an unpalatable sight indeed to see the elite class, including all the Cabinet ministers, feasting on apples, oranges and grapes on the table while the poor rakyat can only eat rambutan, langsat, duku, and mata kuching. ‒ June 27, 2025
Phlip Rodrigues is a retired journalist.
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
Main image: Malay Mail/Firdaus Latif
