FUEL SUBSIDY

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on September 06, 2013

1. The Government has withdrawn subsidy for petrol by 20¢ or roughly by 10% of the pump price. Businesses are already talking about raising the prices of goods they sell. They say that they have to pass on the price increase to their customers.

2. How does the price increase affect business? That depends on how much oil including transport cost enters into their business or products.

3. Assuming oil makes up 10% of the input into their products or services. This will mean 10% of 10%, that is 1%. It is a percentage in terms of increase in cost which most business can easily absorb. There need not be any increase in prices of their products or services.

4. Of course some products or services may have 50% or more of fuel needed. For example transport business. Even here the fuel needed is not 100%. There are other costs to bear. The increase in cost should therefore not be 50%. It should not be even 10%. It should be only 5% or only slightly more.

5. Malaysians must accept prices to increase over time. It is not possible for prices to remain fixed over long periods of time. Generally incomes have also been increasing. Surely part of the income increase must go towards paying for the increase in cost of living.

6. Government I think should monitor the effect of fuel price increase on major industries. This is essential to prevent runaway inflation due to profiteering.

7. I think it is imperative that subsidies be reduced. But it should be done slowly so as to allow people to adjust.

8. It is difficult to regulate subsidies so that only certain deserving people or industries enjoy it. We know of people who sell subsidised petrol to other countries even. Still the idea of regulating subsidies should be considered.

9. The Government’s excuse for reducing subsidies on petrol is in order to reduce deficits. But this alone cannot help. Government need to be more prudent with regard to its expenditures. They should be properly budgeted for. Giving money for people in order to help them financially is good. But the Government needs to be more selective. I notice some of the BR1M receivers spot new cars and decent houses. If the Government wants to give money it should be to the really poor. It is not good to make the people too dependent on the Government. It should be noted that most socialist and communist countries have failed simply because revenues do not increase when people are not productive. Paradoxically it is at the time when people are not productive and revenues are low that Government needs to dole out more BR1M and subsidies.

10. I am no expert in this matter but I do hope that some Government people might read this.

Thank you.

SUNNI DAN SYIAH

As posted by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad at Che Det on August 30, 2013

1. Sejarah Islam dipenuhi dengan permusuhan antara Sunni dengan Syiah. Kerapkali peperangan berlaku di antara mereka. Hari ini kita baca dalam akhbar dan TV berkenaan dengan letupan bom yang membunuh dan mencedera beratus-ratus daripada pengikut kedua-dua mazhab ini semasa mereka sedang sembahyang Jumaat di masjid dan di lain-lain tempat di mana mereka berkumpul.

2. Melihat akan permusuhan dan bunuh-membunuh diantara Sunni dan Syiah, musuh-musuh Islam, Yahudi dan sekutu mereka amat gembira. Bagi mereka, samada Sunni atau Syiah, semuanya adalah orang Islam dan seteru mereka. Kerja mereka untuk melemah dan musnahkan Islam dan orang Islam sedang dibuat oleh orang Islam sendiri.

3. Permusuhan antara Sunni dan Syiah ini tidak berlaku di Malaysia kerana buat sekian lama semua orang Islam di Negara ini terdiri daripada Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah, iaitu Sunni pengikut Imam Shafei. Mereka semua berpegang kepada ajaran Islam yang sama. Walaupun perbezaan politik memisahkan diantara orang Islam di Malaysia, tetapi ia tidak sampai kepada membunuh dan berperang.

4. Sekarang ini ajaran Syiah sedang dikembangkan di Malaysia. Jika Syiah bertapak di sini sudah tentu orang Islam Malaysia akan berpecah lagi. Jarak antara mereka yang terima ajaran Sunni dan Syiah akan semakin luas. Masing-masing akan adakan masjid berasingan dan bermacam lagi perbezaan.

5. Lambat laun permusuhan mereka akan meningkat sehingga mereka akan merusuh, membunuh dan berperang seperti yang berlaku di Iraq, Pakistan dan Syria.

6. Kesan daripada ini ialah Negara akan jadi tidak stabil dan tidak aman. Orang Islam di Negara ini akan ditimpa bala yang amat dahsyat. Mereka yang sudah pun lemah akan menjadi lebih lemah. Kerosakan yang teruk akan berlaku seperti yang kita lihat di Negara-negara di mana Sunni dan Syiah bermusuh.

7. Selama ini kita berpegang dan menganuti agama Islam tanpa banyak masalah. Kita tahu di Iran dan beberapa Negara Islam yang lain ada penganut agama Islam Syiah. Kita tidak ingin menimbulkan masalah bagi mereka dengan mencuba mengembangkan fahaman dan mazhab Sunni di kalangan mereka. Sebaliknya janganlah cuba membawa fahaman Syiah ke Malaysia yang aman kerana kita berpegang kepada satu mazhab yang sama.

8. Kepada kamu agama kamu, kepada kami agama kami (Lakum dinukum waliyyadin). Al Quran menerima adanya orang yang beriman dan ada yang kafir. Tidak ada paksaan dalam Islam. Mereka yang kafir bebas dengan kekafiran mereka dan mereka yang Islam juga bebas menganuti dan mengamal ajaran Islam. Dengan itu permusuhan tidak akan berlaku dan masyarakat menjadi aman.