WITH the Government planning to remove subsidy for edible oil, which has angered the public, netizens took to social media to discuss on how three university student movements are reacting towards it.
In a letter issued by Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) student union chief Rasydan Mohd Hassan dated June 26, he said that while the soaring cost of living is affecting Malaysians, one should understand that subsidy alone does not determine pricing of goods as it also involves supply, demand and purchasing power of a certain locality.
“It is affecting undergraduates too but I believe the Government’s move to float prices of goods like chicken and channel the subsidy to the people instead of farmers as a move to reduce the domino effect of soaring food prices.
“Therefore, the UiTM student union support the initiatives mooted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to stabilise the prices of goods in Malaysia.
“And as educated people, I call for everyone to talk this out in a roundtable discussion for everyone’s wellbeing. Street protests will not solve any problems especially if it involves undergraduates from public universities,” Rasydan mentioned.
But a day earlier, the Universiti Malaya (UM) and International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) student unions vowed to take their grouses to the streets if the Government does not rescind on its decision to withdraw subsidies.
“The IIUM and UM student unions denounce the Government’s decision to remove subsidy and ceiling price for several household goods. We believe the decision was made without taking into consideration the citizens’ livelihood.
“The removal of the subsidy will impact most of the prices of daily necessities to rise sharply in a short period of time. Accordingly, it will have a detrimental impact on the people who have to spend more to buy household necessities,” they said.
They also argued that the revised direct cash assistance was insufficient to mitigate the impact of subsidy removal.
“Stop leading the Malaysian Family if you are the one that oppresses those family members. We urge the Government to be responsible, act proactively and devise a comprehensive plan to evade the expected unbridled spike in prices of products exacerbated by your own irrational decisions,” they stated.
After comparing the message by the three public university, user Azrul Azimi said it was obvious that the UiTM student union was not looking out for its undergraduates.
Echoing his sentiments, user Light Azhar added: “It’s an open secret (that) MPP are mostly Pemuda UMNO.”
Netizen Daddy retorted: “It’s not a secret that UiTM is a ‘kubu kuat’ (fortress for) UMNO.”
An embarrassment
On June 21, the Government announced that it would abolish subsidies for bottled cooking oil and lift the ceiling price for chicken and eggs and raise utility rates.
Following criticism from many quarters, Putrajaya backtracked on the matter three days later, except for edible oil.
“The Government decided the price of chicken in the market will not be floated. The new ceiling price will be announced in the near future by the minister.
“And we will retain electricity and water tariff in Peninsular Malaysia as it is,” Malaysiakini reported Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob as saying.
On that note, user Finding Flea-Mo said he was embarrassed by how the UiTM student union was reacting on the matter, given he is an alumnus from the varsity.
(As an ex-UiTM student, I feel embarrassed by this student union. Perhaps, the leader is apple-polishing the Government for a job at public agency of GLC.”
Netizen Luqie remarked:
(Rasydan should quit. What an embarrassment)- June 27, 2022
