With the rising prices of goods, food vendors have no choice but to increase their food prices.
A simple plate of white rice with a portion of chicken kurma, a scoop of side fried cabbage and sambal belacan could set you back anywhere between RM8 and RM10. It used to cost RM6 at the most.
Consumers are shocked, angry and worried. More than anything, it is the hard truth that purchasing power has diminished greatly.
On Wednesday, Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid in the Dewan Rakyat cautioned that with the rising prices of goods, the Bottom 40 per cent (B40) income group would expand to become B60. This means that the country will have more low-income earners soon, if it has not already happened.
As consumers with reduced purchasing power, it is high time to be prudent. The ministry's Keluarga Malaysia sales programme, an inter-agency government initiative that allows regular food items to be sold 20 per cent lower than the local market price, has become a saviour. Up to May, it has attracted 2.8 million visitors and made total sales of more than RM50 million since it was launched in December last year at 1,702 locations nationwide.
While the government is doing its part to lighten the people's burden, is Keluarga Malaysia obeying the same rule of survival?
Managing inflation is a two-way process. It is a fact that the country's economy can be revitalised when people go out shopping, but consumerism is not the be-all and end-all.
Consider this: Tickets for the upcoming Sept 10 concert for popular Indonesian band Dewa 19 at Axiata Arena in Bukit Jalil were reportedly sold out in just an hour after they were launched online last Monday. While this has prompted the band to add an additional concert date (Sept 9), it also painted a somewhat skewed image of the local consumer behaviour.
In an interview with a local portal, Professor Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong from University Kebangsaan Malaysia said the sold-out show pointed to a possible change in people's priorities that was less than ideal today. He was puzzled as to why people's idea of survival had entertainment high on the list. On social media, his statement rubbed people the wrong way.
Some argued that ticket buyers for the Indonesian group's concert were from the high- and middle-income earners, who bought the RM148 and RM488 tickets. Let's believe that for the sake of the argument.
The movie Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan has collected more than RM80 million to date, barely a month after it was released in cinemas. It is still the No. 1 movie in the country. If a similar argument applies here, then we believe the movie-goers are from the same group, comprising high- and middle-income earners who don't really bat an eyelid if the price of whole chicken rose by a ringgit or two. However, this hypothesis is flawed and warrants a separate discussion.
The point here is not to vilify consumerism. But greed is never good, especially under the current economic constraints. It is suggested in the theory of opportunity cost that a consumer must forgo something of value to achieve another of higher or equal value. Sacrifice rings true in the name of survival.