We need leadership to overcome cost of living crisis

2015 was, by all accounts, an eventful year. The one thing that stood out – besides the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) controversy and the sackings of the deputy prime minister and attorney-general – was the escalating cost of living in Malaysia.

Last year undoubtedly took a toll on the wallets of the people.

Everything from taugeh to cooking oil, public transportation to toll rates, has seen varying degrees of price increases. Almost everyone has been affected by these hikes one way or another.

Even the realm of education has been affected.

My exco office at the state secretariat building has seen a steady stream of parents from lower income families seeking help as their children will soon be heading to school.

They have been hit by an increase in prices for school equipment and clothing. We do what we can for them but it has reached a point where my office staff have had to donate money from their own pockets to help.

And of course, we’ve all read the heart-rending stories about tertiary students not being able to eat.

The one that caused the most outrage was of a public university student who allegedly suffered from a punctured intestine as a result of continued starvation.

As the report tells it, the student had received a PTPTN loan, but this was only enough to cover her tuition fees.

You’d have to be a very hard-hearted person to not feel saddened by this story.

It is true that university students – like all young people – need to learn to manage their money better.

But times are difficult and I have a feeling many of them fall into such difficulties through no fault of their own.

It’s especially hard if you’re from out of town or a rural area. Some of these students apparently even try and send money home from their stipends or loans.

People say, can’t they find a job? Many do – but it’s a tall order to hold one down and still excel in your studies.

Moreover, PTPTN loan amounts have been cut by 15%. This may not seem like much but it hurts a great deal when you consider the higher cost of living, including academic expenses like Internet data.

I can only imagine how tough things must be for students who aren’t eligible for financial assistance at all but whose families are still feeling the pinch.

Recent research findings by Pertubuhan Sukarelawan Muslim Malaysia on 25,632 students from six public universities confirms as much.

According to the research, 18,675 of the total surveyed, or 74% of the students, admitted to not having enough money to eat. Many of these students are on an unhealthy diet of instant noodles, or a rice dish without any protein.

This is why I feel that the response of Khairy Jamaluddin, the youth and sports minister as well as the Umno Youth leader and education minister, to this issue is rather callous.

He reportedly said, "I’m not saying all students live easy and no one suffers, but I don’t think there is any student that is starving… If this case was true why hasn’t the students told the lecturer or the head of their universities?

"I’m sure there are no students who are starving when even they are given free food by the KL Pemuda (Umno Youth)" (Malay Mail, January 12, 2016).

What Khairy doesn’t seem to get is that even if no one is starving in the literal sense, it is still wrong, dead wrong in the first place for these students – for any Malaysian – to have to "suffer" when it comes to feeding themselves.

We’re supposed to be on the cusp, for crying out loud.

He doesn’t seem to realise that either students may be too ashamed to go to the authorities for help, or likelier still, no help is available.

The Higher Education Ministry has responded with a seven-point solution, mostly involving welfare initiatives with the help of universities and student bodies.

Although any form of assistance is welcome, these do not truly address the real root of the problem.

Food coupons cannot paper over the fact that the government has cut a whopping RM1.4 billion from the higher education budget.

But the heart of the issue is that our economy has not been managed properly and ordinary Malaysians have had to bear the cost of this.

The goods and services tax (GST) has not brought down the price of goods and services despite the near-hysterical insistence of Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders that this would happen.

All price index studies, whether from the Statistics Department or research houses, have indicated a substantial increase in the price level of goods and services.

There has also been no real effort by the government to punish errant traders who seek to unduly profit from the people’s pain despite tens of thousands of complaints filed with the government.

Moreover, the government’s removal of subsidies on items like rice and cooking oil, as well as the cut in power tariff rebates, have hurt Malaysian families.

Higher toll rates and public transportation fees has hurt mobility. And the perennial traffic congestion hasn’t gotten any better.

Salaries and productivity hasn’t increased. Our universities continue to be havens of mediocrity.

Also, the falling ringgit means that businesses with international linkages have had to adjust their margins of profit. Some businesses pass the buck to consumers to avoid crippling losses.

Was all of this really unavoidable or due solely to external forces or so-called politicking?

I would suggest to you that there is much truth to an old adage, "A bad workman always blames his tools."

Or, "There are no bad troops, only bad leaders."

Bad leaders deny there is a problem or blame the people they are trying to serve.

The power of our government – over our lives and livelihoods – continues to grow but this does not appear to contribute to resolving longstanding problems like skills mismatch or the brain drain.

You can blame students or Malaysians in general for being spendthrifts – but this then raises the question: why were they not taught better money management skills, especially in a country whose education system is as centralised as ours?

The buck has to stop somewhere and many Malaysians on the street believe it stops in Putrajaya.

They are asking, no, crying out for leadership as life becomes harder and the "Malaysian Dream" becomes increasingly remote.

It certainly cannot be found in leaders who appear disconnected from the struggles young Malaysians face.

Where is this leadership? Who can provide it? – January 19, 2016.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.