BUTTERWORTH – DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng has accused the federal government of spinning the data on living costs by making claims that Malaysia’s inflation rate is the lowest among the Asean countries.
“I think it is with regret that our government intends to portray a false narrative about Malaysia having the lowest living costs rate in Asean.”
It is not true, the Bagan MP said in a social media post.
For example, he singled out that Singapore has an inflation rate of 5.6%, which is higher than Malaysia (3.4%) because there are no price controls in the island republic.
But based on the living costs measurement per capita, Singapore has a much lower purchasing rate compared to Malaysia, he claimed.
One example is the cost of a BigMac (McDonald’s burger) is 150% more expensive in Malaysia than in Singapore, he said.
Penang PKR vice-chairman Jason Ong Khan Lee had sought better accuracy in the measurement of the economic data in the country, as the figures do not resonate with what is happening on the ground.
This creates a disconnect, worsened by the perception that the rich are becoming richer, while the poor are turning out poorer, Ong said.
Last month, while speaking at the opening of the Kelantan Malaysian Family Aspirations Tour, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that the Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia programme is the largest cash aid in the nation’s history with an allocation of RM8.2 billion.
This has helped to rein in runaway inflation rates, he claimed.
He also said that the Malaysian Family concept is not just rhetoric as the well-being and interests of the people continue to be preserved – The Vibes, August 12, 2022
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