Ushering in 2016: Cheaper diesel, but cincau now 50 sen more dear

However, his mood turned dark when he returned from the neighbourhood pasar malam. With a frown on his brow he ranted; “Cincau naik 50 sen ke?!” (Has the price of cincau gone up by 50 sen?)

The object of his ire it turned out was the 1-liter plastic packet of Soya Cincau Cendol (soya bean milk with bits of chopped agar jelly and slivers of green cendol) for which he offered 3 one-ringgit note fully expecting the pasar malam trader to reach into his pouch and return 50 sen. Instead no change was offered; only an apologetic explanation that what cost RM2.50 the previous week now has gone up in price by 20 per cent!

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Whaaatt…!!! Datuk Minister; where are you when you should come visit the Pantai Dalam night market? If this is not a blatant case of profiteering; then I was born yesterday!

A colleague meanwhile who sat next to me at breakfast sought solace by recounting how her 10-year old son came home from his first day of the new school year sobbing; “Mak; melo naik 30 posen” (Ma, the price of melo has gone up 30 sen).” sic.

To pre-empt any accusation of malintent, let me point out that it is not THAT well-known purveyor of this nation’s favourite chocolate malt drink that has put up the price of Milo; but the school canteen vendor who charged 30 sen more for each packet of iced-milo at the start of the new school year).

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It is not all gloom on the personal finances front though. On the way to work on Tuesday; I tuned in to the radio and was greeted by the news on RTM that civil servants would get RM500 extra in their pay packet.

This it turned out was the promise made by the Prime Minister in his 2016 budget speech back in October last year.

My mathematical mind then started a bit of budgetary gymnastics between two sets of traffic lights on the 200 meter stretch of busy Jalan Bangsar on the way to work.

1 packet of soya cincau costing 50 sen more a week will set me back RM4. A packet of `melo ais’ daily costing 30 sen more will eat into the pocket of a D45 grade civil servant parent back by RM6. That is even before the kid steps into the typical classroom where he will need an inordinate amount of vitality to face the academic challenge of the local education system.

Everywhere I go I hear such instances of price hikes that really hit the pockets of the hoi polloi – the real vox populi hitting the mass of the citizenry, some of whom tether on the edge of the poverty line.

These are the wage-earners whose combined income may amount to RM5,000 a month; yet can still find making the budget last a whole month a bit of a stretch. With utility bills to pay, car installments to be deducted, the Star Wars movie ticket to treat the kids – the list goes on and on.

It is for these reasons that I do find pockets of generosity that restores my faith in humanity.

There are still stalls and warongs here and there that offer a decent lunch for a mere RM3. My colleague Fida came to the office one Sunday morning (yes, there are people who call Sunday a normal work day) laden with a plastic bag full of nasi lemas bungkus.

In her inimitable breezy way she announced to her favourite reporter Acap; “Aaadeek; jamahlah naslem akak bawak nih, mak cik kat Ampang ni calon I jadi Wira Awani; baik hati, lagi pemurah to the max!” (translated; she offered Sunday reporter Asyraf Hasnan to an early morning nasi lemak breakfast; all the while extolling the virtues of the Mak Cik from Ampang who she rates so highly as a generous human being; worthy of being considered a hero).

Casting all his 2016 resolution of cutting down on the calories out the window; Acap who is on the wrong side of the BMI stakes promptly wolfed down one packet, then a second; followed by a third!

So what is one to do in the face of increased pressures on one’s wallet in 2016.