Kenyataan dalam Bahasa Inggeris dan Bahasa Malaysia

HARGA MINYAK, TAMBANG BAS DAN NASIB RAKYAT

Menteri Perusahaan Awam, Datuk Nazri Aziz mengumumkan bahawa tambang bas, khususnya di kawasan Lembah Kelang, akan naik mulai 15hb Oktober 2000. Mengikut beliau, kenaikan tambang itu tidak ada kena mengena dengan kenaikan harga minyak yang berkuat kuasa semalam. Tegasnya sebab kenaikan tambang itu ialah kerana perubahan zon bagi perjalanan bas.

Dalam pertengahan Jun lalu, Kerajaan telah menerima kenaikan tambang bas sebanyak 33 peratus. Mulai 15hb Oktober nanti, sekali lagi tambang naik, ada yang akan naik sampai lebih daripada 100 peratus. Dengan kenaikan baru ini, sekali lagi bebanan ke atas rakyat biasa yang menggunakan pengangkutan awam bertambah berat. Di Lembah Kelang, ramai pekerja berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana berulang alik ke tempat kerja dengan bas awam. Begitu juga kebanyakan anak mereka berulang alik ke sekolah dengan bas juga. Apabila tambang bas awam naik, tentu sekali tambang bas sekolah pun akan meningkat.

Nazri berkata selepas 15hb Oktober, tambang bas tidak akan dibenarkan naik lagi, walaupun harga minyak petrol sekarang sudah bertambah 10 satu liter dan minyak diesel naik 5 sen satu liter. Barang kali ini ialah kerana kenaikan baru mulai 15hb Oktober itu sudah mengambil kira sekali kenaikan harga minyak petrol dan diesel itu. Tetapi kita harus mengingati bahawa lebih tiga bulan lalu Nazri pernah berkata keperluan menaikkan tambang bas perlu ditimbang dari semasa ke semasa.

Mungkin kenaikan tambang yang akan dilaksanakan pada 15hb Oktober nanti memang tidak ada kena mengena dengan kenaikan harga minyak. Tetapi masa ketika ia berlaku pasti akan menyebabkan rakyat umum mengaitkan kedua-dua perkara itu. Sangat malang sekali jikalau kenaikan tambang bas ini bersama dengan kenaikan minyak petrol dan diesel akan dijadikan alasan untuk menaikkan sewaan bagi pengangkutan awam yang digunakan untuk mengangkut barang-barang.

Sekiranya ini berlaku, tentu para peniaga akan terdorong pula untuk menaikkan harga barang keperluan, lebih daripada yang wajar. Menteri Perniagaan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Datuk Muhiyidin Yasin berjanji akan memantau kenaikan harga barang. Tetapi apa yang boleh dilakukannya selain daripada hanya memantau? Tidak ada peraturan atau badan penguat kuasa yang boleh digunakannya untuk mengawal harga.

Kenaikan tambang bas di Lembang Kelang tidak akan menjejaskan mereka yang berpendapatan tinggi, yang mempunyai kenderaan sendiri. Akan tetapi, bagi mereka yang berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana dan tidak mempunyai kenderaan sendiri, kenaikkan tambang ini akan menjejaskan pendapatan mereka yang pada takuk lama juga. Hidup mereka akan bertambah sempit sekiranya harga barang bertambah meningkat pula. Oleh itu PRM membantah keras kenaikan tambang bas dan harga minyak itu.

Dr Syed Husin Ali
Presiden PRM
2hb Oktober 2000

OIL PRICE, BUS FARE AND THE PEOPLE’S LOT

Entrepreneur Minister, Datuk Nazri Aziz announced that bus fares, particularly in Klang Valley would go up effective from 15th October 2000. According to him, this increase has nothing to do with the increase of oil prices, which was enforced yesterday. He emphasised that this increase is due to changes in the new zoning of bus routes.

In the middle of June this year, the Government accepted the request to increase bus fares by 33 percent. Beginning 15th October, once again the fares will go up, in some cases by more than 100 percent. With this new increase in fares, once again the ordinary people who make use of public transport are imposed with an increasingly heavy burden. In the Klang Valley, many workers from low and middle income groups rely on public transport to go to their work places. Further, a good number of them depend on school buses for their children. When fares for public transport go up, inevitably the school bus fares will also be increased.

Nazri says that after October 15th, bus fares will not be allowed to go up any further, despite the increase in prices of oil and diesel by 10 sen and 5 sen respectively per litre. Perhaps the fare increase for 15th October onward has already taken into account the price increases for petrol and diesel. But we must remember that about three months ago, Nazri had already promised bus owners of that increase of bus fares would be reviewed periodically.

Perhaps there is really no connection between the new bus fares to take effect from 15th October with the price increases of petrol and diesel. But the timing they have taken place will surely make the general public assume that the two are related. We fear that the increase in bus fares as well as the price increases of petrol and diesel will be used as an excuse by those monopolising public transport carrying goods to increase their charges.

If this happens, then certainly businessmen will be tempted to increase prices of daily necessities that they trade in. The Minister for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, Datuk Muhiyidin Yasin promises that he will monitor any price increase of commodities. But what can he do more than just monitoring? He neither has the regulations nor the enforcement body to use in order to control prices.

The increase of bus fares in the Klang Valley will not affect the high income groups who have their own means of transport. But for those in the lower and middle income groups who do not have their own transport, these fare increases will affect adversely their real incomes. With no change in incomes, their livelihood will become more difficult if prices of daily necessities also go up. That is why PRM protests strongly the increases in bus fares and prices of oil.

Dr Syed Husin Ali
PRM President
2nd October 2000