'Be with the people, don't be a politician for money'

Politicians should not be in politics for the money and should instead live as one of the people.

This, said PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli at a forum on price increases after GE13 Thursday, applied to both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat politicians.

“If you want to earn tens of thousands, then I think you shouldn't be in politics, stay in the corporate sector. As a politician, we should live like the people, and be close to the people. Else we would all be like the rich ministers,” said Rafizi.

Rafizi also made direct reference to the recent salary hike of Selangor state government lawmakers of up to 300 percent, appearing to be reproaching his Pakatan colleagues in the state government.

"The argument behind the salary hike is if the MB is heading a state of five million people, he should be justly rewarded. But I don't agree with this,” explained the Pandan MP.

Meanwhile, Rafizi also asked for amendments to be made to the Competition Act 2010, which he claimed excluded important sectors such as utility, electricity, and telecommunications.

“What is left within the Act are the small businesses which are not facing the issue of monopoly. Anti Trust laws are supposed to break monopolies, not allow them to continue,” he said.

Meanwhile, co-panelist at the forum Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed admitted that price hikes were inevitable and that the government is unable to stop them.

However, he stressed what the government is able to do, and is doing, is to prevent the increases from being too drastic.

“The government can only stem the price hike, and we have tried to hold for it for long enough," he said.

The Public Accounts Committee chairman and Pulai MP also said that the idea of changing the federal government would not stop the series of price hikes that is burdening the people.

“A change in government would not be cheap,” said Nur Jazlan.

However, he said that a responsible government, however, must always be transparent with the people.

“The government should explain to the people, the prices of the goods and services that would be going up, and when exactly those prices would change, so the people can prepare,” he said.

Meanwhile, economist Prof Datuk Dr Amir Hussin Baharuddin said that there should be an empowering of cooperatives and consumer groups so that the economy of the country is balanced.

“These groups are very effective in other countries. They are able to curb inflation,” said Amir.

“If the government say nothing can be done I don’t’ buy that. You have to do something. We only have perhaps the Federation of Malaysia Consumers Association here. In modern governments the cooperatives are their strengths,” he said.