IT has been two months since Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad was appointed minister for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. But we have yet to see any action taken to combat the rising cost of our everyday necessities, especially food items.

All we have heard are promises that strategies and actions will be taken by the ministry to cushion the effect of rising prices, especially on the lower-income group and those without fixed incomes.

As a taxpayer, I am disheartened over how vehicle operators from our northern neighbour, Thailand, are benefitting from our subsidised diesel.

Every time I buy petrol at fuel stations in Perlis, I see cars, lorries and other vehicles with Thai licence plates filling up not only their tanks but also other containers (drums and plastic containers) with diesel meant for the locals.

I keep asking myself, where are the enforcement officers? Doesn’t anyone check vehicles from Thailand that cross the border many times a day for no apparent reason other than to buy more and more of our (cheaper) fuel?

I am hoping the relevant government agencies here will wake up, trim the rhetoric and do something instead of just talking.

The price of crude oil is rising steadily and the government is spending a lot of money to subsidise fuel alone and we don’t want this subsidy to be enjoyed by foreigners as well.

I have two suggestions as to what could be done:

We could abolish the subsidy for diesel. Fuel stations will then sell the fuel at the actual market price but those citizens deserving help will receive direct subsidies in the form of coupons according to the amount of fuel they buy.

Another way would be to equip fuel stations with two different pumps, one selling fuel to locals at subsidised prices and the other selling fuel at full price to foreigners.

R.A., Arau

Source: NST – May 28, 2008