SARAWAKIANS have called on the federal government and the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state administration to start implementing better measures on the ground to lower the exorbitant cost of living and not keep making general pledges.
The political partners of Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Putrajaya and GPS in Kuching cannot keep on talking without any strong direction on what they are going to do to lower the high costs of daily essentials, said Tring-Berawan ethnic community elder Willie Kajan.
Kajan, who is a tour leader as well as an active social activist, told The Vibes that prices of essentials like eggs, rice and chicken had shot up to levels not seen before.
"A tray of eggs (30 eggs) has increased by up to RM9 per tray, while rice has increased between RM5 to RM6 per bag (10kg bag).
"The price of processed chicken has shot up by about RM5 per kg in many places," he said.
"Last year saw the most number of essential items hit by price hikes and this new year is expected to be even worse in terms of prices of food, household items and services."
He said that federal ministry and state leaders do not seem to have any real action plan on stopping the rise in the cost of living.
"We only keep hearing all sorts of pledges," he stressed.
The cost of construction materials has also shot up, and so too has the cost of essential services like vehicle maintenance, spare parts, lubricants and tyres, he added.
Kajan said Putrajaya and Kuching cannot keep blaming the cost of raw materials and weak ringgit as reasons for prices of things being so expensive.
"We ordinary rakyat want to see concrete measures put in place to not just stop the increase in prices but also to lower the already-high prices everywhere.
"Indications are that the cost of living will rise even more this year," he said.
Question yourself after a year in power
Meanwhile, a Sarawak DAP veteran said it has been more than a year since PH took over Putrajaya but the three million ordinary Sarawakians are not enjoying improvements to their daily lives.
Chiew Ching Sing, who was a six-term state assemblyman for Kidurong (later renamed Tanjung Batu) before retiring from active politics in 2020, said the daily woes afflicting ordinary Sarawakians are getting from bad to worse.
"The cost of living in Sarawak has gone up, with essential things getting more expensive daily. Putrajaya must address the cost of living woes affecting us ordinary Sarawakians.
"They must get GPS to do something about these daily problems that ordinary rakyat in Sarawak have to endure," he said.
Chiew, the state DAP treasurer, said PH national leaders must honestly ask if they have done enough to improve the welfare of ordinary Sarawakians.
"The majority of Sarawakians are in the middle and lower income categories.
"They are struggling due to high prices of essentials, transportation, housing, bad rural infrastructure, lack of basic amenities like electricity and treated water in rural districts and also low income.
"These are going to get worse this year by the look of things," he said.
However, Chiew said the newly upgraded Pan Borneo Highway is a good project that Putrajaya has managed to deliver for Sarawak.
He said the highway has the potential to open up numerous socio-economic benefits for the people. – The Vibes, January 2, 2024
