I AM somewhat perplexed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s statement that if the people could not appreciate what the government had done by initiating the fuel-rebate scheme, the government might scrap it and channel the rebates into subsidies to reduce pump prices.

I do not think there are many people who are critical of the scheme. In fact, I think there are more people for the scheme than against it. It is not fair to punish the entire population of the country just because a few people are not happy with the scheme.

The people who are criticising the fuel-rebate scheme are in the minority. They don’t speak for the whole of Malaysia.

In a society like ours, we are bound to have people who are simply ungrateful even when measures undertaken by the government benefit them directly. So, why listen to this kind of ungrateful people?

I have heard a lot of positive comments about the fuel-subsidy scheme. Those who have passed comments about the scheme are very happy with it and hope it will continue until the price of fuel drops to a reasonable level. The majority of Malaysians are happy with the fuel-rebate scheme.

MOHD GHAZALI OSMAN, Ipoh

Source: NST – August 27, 2008