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Mass anti-fuel hike rally on July 12
Andrew Ong | Jun 5, 08 2:38pm
Thousands of people would be mobilised for a mass protest against the shocking increase in fuel prices at the iconic KLCC Twin Towers on July 12.
Organisers Coalition Against Inflation (Protes) hopes to gather 100,000 people to call for the government to reduce fuel prices to its original levels before the hike today.
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Oil hike protest in KL
Syed Jaymal Zahiid | Jun 5, 08 12:45pm
Some 50 people gathered in Jalan Pasar, Kuala Lumpur, this morning to protest the sharp hike in fuel prices which came into effect at the stroke of midnight. 
The protesters, who were led by DAP parliamentarians, dispersed about an hour later at 12.10pm. At a press conference later, Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai warned the government that more protests, and possibly civil unrest, can take place if the government does not review the price hike. The DAP leader said he expects the government to tell the people to adopt a more prudent lifestyle but added that it is nothing short of being "hypocritical." Other DAP MPs present were Tan Seng Giaw, Lim Lip Eng, Fung Kui Lun, Janice Lee and Teresa Kok.
Apart from the protest in Kuala Lumpur, DAP Perak also organised a similar protest in Ipoh this morning.Tomorrow, Teratai MP Janice Lee will organise a protest at at Taman Muda Ampang in Kuala Lumpur.
Another protest will be held outside the Kampung Baru mosque after the Friday prayers. This is being organised by a Malay NGO called Ikrar.
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Anwar: Hike 'wanton in size, callous in effect'
Terence Netto | Jun 5, 08 1:54pm
PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim described the 78-sen rise in petrol pump prices as “wanton in size and callous in effect”. He added the increase - the largest in four rounds of price hikes in the last 18 months - was the “compounded legacy of the now unsustainable secrecy in the way the profits of Petronas are disbursed and was also the cumulative effect of wanton waste in government expenditure”. Anwar reiterated that a Pakatan government at the federal level would overhaul the financial management of the country by implementing by an agenda of “humane economics”. Anwar also said that while the people were suffering from the price hikes, national oil company Petronas was still making profits which were being utilised elsewhere.
"Even the Parliament is not told of their financial status. Only the prime minister knows. And the results are various mega projects and economic corridors," he wrote.
‘We strongly object the Umno-BN government's irresponsible policies which has failed the people...they should stand down," he wrote.
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Your say: The 'tsunami' fuel hike
Jun 5, 08 8:51am
Tmdtwg:
I do have some suggestions. If the BN government wants to put the fuel price at the market price of RM4 per litre, then they must do the following first or simultaneously.
1. Make Petronas accounts for the past 30 years (audited) public so that the rakyat knows where the monies have gone. Be accountable.
2. Take over all the tolled highways and scrap all toll booths. Make the highway concession agreement public. Punish the ministers and officials involved in signing these lopsided agreements. Ask the toll operators to pay compensation to the rakyat.
3. All BN cabinet members, CMs, MBs, excos, senators, government top brass including those at GLCS must use small cc vehicles and sell off those posh and big cc cars.
4. Erase corruption. Compel all BN office-bearers and government top brass and their families to declare their assets and make it public.
5. Fix the public transport system. Najib said this wou;d be done when he increased the petrol price but it has never materialised.
6. All lopsided agreements with independent power producers must be reviewed.
7. Those private companies (and GLCs) which have been given a monopoly must contribute 40-60% of their revenue to a special fund to finance research on alternative fuel sources.
If the BN government can’t do all of the above, all MPs must support Pakatan Rakyat and let Anwar Ibrahim be the new PM. He will have new ways to handle this problem.
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'Let me pay market price for cars too'
Jun 5, 08 10:46am
Kenny Gan:
I don't mind paying market price for petrol provided I can pay market price for cars. Currently, our cars are anything but ‘market price’. We have one of the highest car prices in the world due to our abnormally high import duties on foreign cars.
I'm not talking about luxury cars either, half of what we pay for a basic family cars goes to tax. The tax component of a car will pay for the extra cost of unsubsidised petrol for the life of the car!
In a country where public transport is abysmal and most people have no practical choice but to own cars, middle-class families are being pushed to the wall. Subsidised petrol helps to offset the high installments car owners have to fork out monthly to pay for their overtaxed cars.
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