Kerajaan sepatutnya merendahkan harga runcit petrol di Malaysia berikutan penurunan harga minyak mentah sedunia, keuntungan Petronas yang meningkat dan kadar inflasi yang tinggi.
Ketika kerajaan mengumumkan kenaikan harga petrol dan disel pada 28 Februari 2006, harga minyak mentah Brent dan WTI berlegar sekitar USD60-USD67 setong. Harga petrol telah dinaikkan sebanyak 30 sen seliter, kenaikan tertinggi setakat ini. Walaubagaimanapun, sejak sebulan lepas, harga setong minyak mentah berlegar sekitar USD55-USD60 setong.
Tetapi kerajaan bertegas ia hanya akan mempertimbangkan penurunan harga minyak pada tahun depan sekiranya harga minyak mentah turun di bawah USD50 setong. Pada masa yang sama, Petronas baru sahaja mengumumkan keuntungan bersih setengah tahun sebanyak RM27.27 billion, kenaikan sebanyak 20.6% berbanding tempoh yang sama pada tahun lepas. Perangkaan EPU menyebut bahawa kadar inflasi pada tahun 2006 juga dijangka paling tinggi sejak 1999, mengakibatkan kenaikan harga barangan yang membebankan pengguna.
Jika dahulu kerajaan mengambil pendirian bahawa rakyat sepatutnya memahami pengorbanan subsidi kerajaan, kini tiba masanya kerajaan memahami pula penderitaan rakyat. Kenaikan harga minyak dilakukan secara berterusan dalam jangkamasa yang pendek, tetapi apabila hendak menurunkannya kerajaan ingin mengambil masa yang panjang sekadar untuk mempertimbangkannya. Di samping itu rakyat dibebani lagi oleh masalah ekonomi yang masih lagi lembap, penurunan pelaburan asing dan pengangguran serta inflasi yang tinggi.
Kerajaan juga sewajarnya meletakkan Petronas bertanggungjawab kepada Parlimen untuk memastikan pengurusan hasil mahsul negara yang menjadi khazanah nasional dilakukan secara telus dan terbuka.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
As a student of Economics, don’t you think that putting the fuel price at a higher price will actually benefit the citizens? It’s a paradox, but, with lesser subsidiary, that means, the government can sped more, which means the component of GDP is actually increasing. Transfers, such as subsidiary only hurt the National Income no?
Instead of lowering the price of fuel, I actually prefer prices of food to be subsidiarized.
Saudara noorhidayat, as an Economic student, I am sure that you also know that price of petrol has chain effects on consumer products, such as food. The government has many other source to increase the GDP.
You cannot purely put theory into practicle. It does not work most of the time.
Yes that’s right, but the benefits of increasing petrol price is actually a good idea, imho. First of all, we look at the benefits of actually pushing down the consumer’s thirst for automobiles. We know that cars and jams is an issue that we need to solve, else, we’re going to have a cloudy future.
Secondly, we look at our fuel consumption. It’s increasing by the day! And if I’m not wrong, according to a journal, our petrol consumption is going to increase so much that by 2011, we’re going to be a next importer. Shouldn’t we actually strong that consumption?
Thirdly, though cost of production is actually passed down to the consumers, can’t we have a body that monitors how much of these costs is increased? We try to minimize it and then we increase subsidiary to neccessicities such food in order to benefit all citizens regardless of income level. Putting subsidiary to only fuel benefits more of mid-level to high-level income citizens and actually ignore the rural folks who rarely uses fuel in their daily life. However, putting subsidiary into for an example, food, would mean cheaper access to food that these rural folks have never tasted before - which to me, sounds fairer.
bah.. so many errors.
Shouldn’t we actually decrease that consumption?
I typed “strong” because of the html code.
To noorhidayat, the first point in your argument of a higher oil price does not apply to Malaysia. The prices of automobiles are already high to begin with (because of our “beloved” auto company proton). That reason alone is enough to slow the demand for automobiles. Plus, there’s road tax, insurance, (increasing number of) tolls, traffic jams.
By 2011, there is a strong possibility that alternative fuel would be introduced considering the current high oil price and the situation in Iraq.
To me, the reason for the refusal to lower the price of oil per-liter in Malaysia is due to building of a second bridge in Penang and RMK-9.
I also agree with zahir’s view about the chain effect.
Assalamu’alaykum datuk seri,
1. Bagaimana untuk berhubungan dengan datuk seri melalui email?
2. Yahoogroups itu masih wujudkah?