IN the past few days, food prices have experienced a drastic increase across the country. While fluctuations in food market prices are an industry norm, the latest increase is a sharp rise and could be a burden on the entire population, especially the low-income group and those who have lost their livelihoods. This also has a bad impact on university students in the form of increased costs of living.
The Universiti Malaya Students’ Union (Umsu) is aware that the increase has been said to be due to factors beyond the control of the government, such as industrial supply and demand forces, climate change, and transportation costs. However, the union is still sceptical of the validity of the explanations or excuses given.
This is because we see such a phenomenon happening almost every single year. Our various government departments, equipped with specific resources and expertise, should have anticipated these factors to come into play, and by right should have been prepared with pragmatic strategies to tackle the issue today. In any case, the current government should not be complacent and should play a more aggressive role in curbing this problem today.
Umsu would like to propose some suggestions to remedy the situation. In the short term, the government must set and enforce price controls for essential goods until the situation returns to stability. This is to ensure that no middleman shall take the opportunity to make excessive profits at the expense of others.
For this purpose, the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority needs to be more involved in the buying and selling between the producers and consumers, to reduce the high costs levied by the middlemen. Additionally, a one-off allowance targeted at B40 students should be considered to cover the increase in the cost of their daily meals.
In the long run, the government should focus its efforts on increasing support and incentives in the field of research and development to increase domestic agricultural productivity. With the increase in local supply in terms of quantity and diversity, only then can Malaysia be fully self-sufficient in meeting local demand, and vendors do not have to raise prices when faced with scenarios that lead to a sharp drop in supply or increase in demand. The government needs to put more emphasis on the agro-food sector after its marginalisation in the 1980s due to the development of the industrial sector.
Furthermore, UMSU demands and urges the current government to set up a special committee to continue previous efforts in repealing the Universities and University Colleges Act 1971. This is important to restore student autonomy, academic freedom, and university co-governance with students, to usher in the next generation of youths of high calibre and strong capabilities in aiding the country’s future recovery.
If all these recommendations can be implemented competently, Umsu is confident that this situation can be addressed and the issue can be resolved. Umsu hopes that the government will take into account the suggestions given and even consider opening up dialogue sessions on the issues raised. – The Vibes, December 1, 2021
The Universiti Malaya Students’ Union fights for student empowerment and betterment at Malaysia’s oldest university
