Hmmmm.... I distinctly remember that I wrote a blog about an unexpected petrol price hike a while back, which was about a few months after Pak Lah mentioned that the government would not impose an increase in petrol prices for the year (oh, it was back in July 2005 and a few months before that, we had another petrol price increase). Now here we are again with yet another price increase of a human civilization necessity.
Now, I'm not placing any blame on Pak Lah (God forbid me if I do) but you must wonder whether it's (a) some sort of government punishment to the rakyat for not backing up BN, (b) a sort of scheme to ensure more money is pumped to 'the worthy people' a.k.a. duit kotor lar, or (c) a setup for a global monopolization (for what or who, I have no clue so you figure that one out yourself). I mean, look at what the different sides are saying. Idris and Mukhriz claim there is no fuel shortage therefore a price hike should not occur, while the other side of the story is a certain country (really? A country?) is buying up tons of fuel, which is causing the hike.
Now (I know, I use that word alot lately) it is of no use for us, the rakyat, to point the finger to our government and say 'Hey, it's your (point finger), your (point finger) and your (point yet another finger) fault'. It's like talking to God. You can say, scream, shout, angst all you want, but if God ain't listenin', you ain't gettin' nowhere. Sure, sure, the government should listen to the rakyat's woes. Sure, sure, without the rakyat, where would the government be. But you must remember, or register it into your head, the people with money, power and status are the ones who make the law; who say what goes and what doesn't; who make the world go round. As long as they are comfortable, what care could they possibly have for the rest, the unfortunates, the poor?
Yes, it's harsh. And yes, it's a pessimistic way to look at life. But, yes, it is also a fact. No matter how deep you try to bury your head into the sand, it is a matter-of-fact truth. There are those of wealth and power who try their best to represent the rakyat, such as that wonderful woman my mom keeps talking about, but these people are but one fighting dolphin in a sea of preying piranhas. How long can their battle last? Or if you want to look at life all rosy and clean, you can always think that the government is listening to you but at this moment in time, their hands are tied. There, how's that? Feel better? :)
Anyway, I'm straying from my point (don't I always?). With petrol costing us RM2.70 per liter, we need more alternatives for our transportation. Sorry to say but forget about our public transportation. Aside from our trains and LRTs, the rest of them are totally garbage. If it's not hours of delay and lack of standing space from our buses, it's the cut-throat fares from our taxis (yes, some of them DO overcharge). I got contacts to two really honest taxi-drivers if any of you need a cab. One of them has been with me since my primary school years and the other is always our choice when we need to go to the airport.
One suggestion that is so obvious is carpooling. Just make sure that whoever you carpool with DO pay the petrol price when it's their turn. If not, just kick them out. The second suggestion is to walk more. If you're within distance to the area you want to go, just pick up your feet and walk. Oh, pleeeeeease don't bother with the pathetic whinings. "It's so hooot" or "I'll get blisters on my perfectly manicured toes" or worse, "It'll rain, and I might get all hot and sweaty, and then no guy/girl is going to find me attractive and I won't get laid for a week." Bla bla bla. Suck it up!! If walking is too unbelievably impossible for you, then the next best thing is a bicycle. Hmmm, or how about rollerblades?
If you really need your car, being a travelling salesman and all, you might want to do what most other Malaysians are doing; converting to NGV, natural gas vehicle (visit ngv.com.my or ngv.net.my for more info). You get to travel, as they claim in their site, 200km with just RM10 (that was the claim before the price hike so it might be like, what, RM15 now?). Only one problem. The cylinder that they install in your car is huge. Be prepared to sacrifice your boot space in order to conserve your fuel. Oh, and yes, according to them you can use both natural gas and petrol even after conversion.
For Mitsubishi cars, or USF-HICOM car owners, I've just talked to one of the staff there and he claims that next week, USF-HICOM is bringing in something that might be able to help conserve fuel for their cars. Once they bring it in, they will test it on their Mahindras and Mitsubishis to see just how well (or how bad) the thing works. Don't ask me what the thing is, I have no idea 'coz even he doesn't know about it in detail. I'll get back to it if I have more info, and if I feel like it, heehehe.
As for the rebates, well, yeah, it may be good of the government to help out the rakyat in that way. But RM625 for each person, regardless of how far or near they travel? That's like giving a guy who has to constantly travel from one state to another the short end of a thorny stick, while someone who only travels 10mins a day to work gets the longer, smoother end. Someone they interviewed on the news about 3 days ago has this idea of giving rebate according to the distance they have to travel, which I think is much more fairer. My friend, on the other hand, included that the rebate should also look at the cars that the people are driving. If they can afford a first-hand Lexus, do they really need the RM625 rebate? Maybe that's why the rebate only applies to cars with 2.0 and less liter engines.
But our government is right with one thing; it is time for Malaysians to change their lifestyle slightly. Try to save more, conserve more, recycle more, think more. If we have time to whine, we have time to think of solutions to better our predicament. And there's no better time to start than right...this...very...minute.
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