“WHY la did you vote for him?” lamented a Ford salesman in a video posted on X (formerly Twitter). “That formula expert has also vanished.”
Posted by opposition-slant influencer Solisidtor (@solisidtor), the very obviously pained and frustrated 4×4 pick-up truck salesman was reacting to the diesel price hike from RM2.15/litre to RM3.35/litre which came into effect on June 10.
Obviously, he was training his gun at the top man in Putrajaya, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli who was instrumental in devising the country’s fuel rationalisation a.k.a. targeted subsidy scheme.
“Lu orang la.. kenapa pergi undi dia? Itu pakar formula pun sudah hilang..!”
Memang drop sales 4X4 lepas ni..
Anwar naik rakyat susah. pic.twitter.com/o2uWL42cYn
— Solisidtor (@Solisidtor) June 11, 2024
In the slightly more than five-minute clip, the protagonist in the video described how the steep rise in diesel price was a huge blow to not just him as a salesman of diesel vehicles but also his prospects.
Firstly, he has to fork out a fair bit of money as he had promised buyers that the vehicles would be delivered with a full tank of fuel, each now costing almost RM100 extra based on the 80-litre fuel tank size of the Ford Ranger.
In stating that he would have to bear out-of-pocket expenses of almost RM700 this month as he had seven orders to fulfil, he lamented that as a salesman, he is not entitled to any subsidies.
Secondly, he also pointed out that even with the RM200 subsidy for entitled owners of diesel vehicles, a Ford Ranger owner who fills up an average of four times a month would also have to bear additional expenses from the price hike.
Moreover, salesman like him will have to brace for a potential downturn in sales with buyers turning their backs on diesel vehicles.
The video elicited quite a few responses. A few commenters chided the salesman for daring to complain when he had made a killing when subsidies were in place. One said ups and downs were normal in the business sphere.
Some pointedly said it was just reduced commission and not outright loss. One netizen politely suggested to the salesman to refrain from making sweet promises to close sales while another asked if the government forced him to deliver the trucks with full tanks of diesel.
One netizen did point out that the subsidy culture in Malaysia was a big issue due to the amount of funds it swallows. He hoped that the next administration would not fall into the populist trap of re-introducing fuel subsidies.
A few openly questioned the salesman about voting choices, asking just what the viable alternative should be.
More than one reminded the salesman that there were enough times previous administrations had burdened the rakyat with their policies.
With this fuel price hike affecting almost every sphere of society and not just owners of diesel vehicles, expect the debate to rumble on.
It is a difficult and complex situation having to manage bread-and-butter issues affecting ordinary citizens alongside the long-term economic health of the nation.
Debate the issue but FocusM urges Malaysians to not make snap judgements without considering carefully the implications – both positive and negative – from the removal of diesel subsidies.
In the meantime, perhaps the salesman in the video as well as future pick-up truck owners may need to shift their attention elsewhere. – June 13, 2024
