Folks, it's that time of the month again ...

IT is that time of the month again.

Ever since the managed float system was implemented last December, I’ve sworn off Facebook and Twitter for the first week of every month, as my timeline would be filled with rants and all manner of profanities.

I refer to the period after new retail fuel prices are announced, when Malaysians from all walks of life devotedly publish their two cents on the matter (or according to my editor Ashwad, 2.12 after Goods and Services Tax) on social media.

Of course, this is understandable. It’s hard not to get slightly emotional about rising prices at the pump. It impacts our lives in many ways.

So what have we learnt from the past half year since the new system replaced the Automatic Pricing Mechanism (APM) used previously?

Well, we know people can get angry and fed up with official statements that are difficult to process (from both the Government and Opposition).

I wonder what can be done by the government to placate the rakyat during these trying times.

Perhaps listen to them? Rather than just issuing explanations as to why prices were hiked up once again.

Maybe care enough to find out their concerns, and the source of their frustrations?

Understanding the underlying sentiment would help in formulating a viable solution that could genuinely help people counter the rising cost of living.

Sure, the recent Fitch Ratings announcement came as a pleasant surprise. An improved outlook on the country’s economy is very much welcomed.

But how does it relate to the man at the petrol pump?

You can’t manage people the way you manage fiscal policy.

Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) is not the answer. It may alleviate expenses for a month, but over the course of a year, I doubt it is much help to the beneficiaries.

Spend more prudently? If they were not doing that already, they wouldn’t be alive to complain about the rising cost of living!

So, what is the solution?

I do not know. I am just a regular Malaysian in the middle-income trap. I have neither the expertise of a trained economist nor the policy-making inclination of a minister.

But I am definitely sure the solution is not whipping up a plate of fried rice drowned in cucumber slices for my breaking of fast later.