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By Mihar Dias (C) Copyright June 2024
The Realpolitik of Diesel Subsidy Withdrawal: Anwar’s Fantastical Approach
In the latest political circus, Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli is valiantly defended by a pro-Pakatan Harapan influencer, Najib Bakar, against allegations from former UMNO supreme council member Isham Jalil.
Isham, ever the sceptic, insists it’s absurd to believe fishing vessels are smuggling diesel on a grand scale. Yet Najib counters with tales of mid-sea bartering, involving diesel-loaded barges and code-named seahorses.
It’s a smuggling saga fit for a spy novel, except this one is set in the murky waters off Malaysia’s coast.
Najib’s friend in the shipping industry apparently knows the ropes and the 'inner secrets.' According to him, our government loses a staggering RM7 billion to RM8 billion annually to these nefarious diesel smugglers.
That’s equivalent to 20 million litres vanishing daily—if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
Let’s break it down: 20 million litres a day. If you’re thinking this is absurd, you’re not alone. A single large truck’s fuel tank can hold about 500-600 litres.
To move 20 million litres, you’d need around 40,000 trucks every day. Imagine a convoy of 40,000 phantom trucks sneaking past border controls without a hitch. Has anyone seen these trucks? Are they masquerading as ghostly apparitions on our roads? And let’s not forget the sea: Are there 40,000 boats ferrying diesel to Thailand under the radar each day? It’s a logistical fantasy.
But let’s entertain this wild narrative for a moment. If such colossal smuggling were true, it would point to a catastrophic failure of border enforcement.
Are our authorities blind, or are they in on the act? It’s like believing in the myth of 40,000 phantom Bangladeshi voters rigging our elections. The real scandal here is not the diesel but the credibility of these claims.
What’s the government's genius solution? Hike the diesel price to RM3.35 per litre, effectively offloading the burden onto the rakyat. It’s akin to punishing the entire class because a few students cheated on a test. The logic? Nonexistent.
Instead of targeting the root problem—smugglers and ineffective border security—they pass the buck to the people. And then, with a straight face, assure us that this won’t affect the cost of goods.
How do they guarantee this? Will the minister personally absorb the price hike? Transport and logistics costs influence prices across the board; any rise in diesel costs will ripple through the economy.
Anwar’s government, in its infinite wisdom, opts for magical thinking over practical solutions. Instead of bolstering enforcement, they raise prices and spin tales of ghost trucks and phantom barges.
The numbers thrown around are as believable as fairy tales. Anwar, where are these figures from? From our perspective, they’re as imaginary as the diesel supposedly disappearing daily.
It’s high time the government stopped insulting our intelligence. We don’t need stories of maritime smuggling conspiracies; we need effective enforcement. But perhaps that’s too much to ask from a government more comfortable with fiction than facing the harsh realities of their incompetence.
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