Our talented ministers & officials

During the fuel price increase early this year, Kedah State industry, transport, consumers and foreign workers committee chairperson Chong Itt Chew warned traders not to whimsically (his word) raise prices of food and drinks by using the hike in fuel price as an excuse.

KTemoc's note: the English word 'reason' (a basis or cause, as for some belief, action, fact, event ...) differs in meaning from the word 'excuse' (a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise ...)

Therefore the traders might have good 'reasons' (fuel price increase), but they wouldn't be permitted to use those as 'excuses' to ... er ... whimsically raise prices to maintain a viable business

Chong's amazingly brilliant comprehension of the (non) effect of fuel price increase on transported goods was shared by Entrepreneur Development and Cooperatives Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who wanted the public to report to his ministry if bus operators raised the bus fares because of the same issue, the fuel price rise.

If they did, he would instruct the Commercial Vehicles Licensing Board (CVLB, who it has been alleged can't tell the difference between a Penang bus and a bullock cart) to revoke their bus permits.

Presumably all bus companies complied with his 'advice', proving beyond any shadow of doubt that fuel price hikes had no effect on the cost of business. The brilliant Chong Itt Chew was absolutely right in his non-whimsical deduction - a potential Nobel Economic Prize laureate!

Mohamed Khaled Nordin also blessed us with his incredible wisdom, in that "There are innovative ways for them [bus compnaies] to deal with the recent fuel price increase and as long as it doesn't involve asking for RM1 subsidised diesel or hiking fares, it's all right with me."

For more of those official pearls of bull .. er .. I mean ... wisdom, read my earlier postings:

(1) 2nd-hand Teh Tarik
(2) Fuel Price makes MAS a Goose, but Buses Ganders
(3) 'Sweet' wisdom, 'Sweet' actions, 'Sweet' bullsh*t

Well, not to be outdone, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Mohd Shafie Apdal has recently warned traders that he couldn't see any reason for raising prices of goods even though toll charges will be shooting up by as high as 60% on 01 January. According to him, the increase in the toll rates would be less than 1% of transportation and production costs.

Additionally, he observed that many of the routes that are used to transport goods also do not pass tolled roads, and where they do, the toll charges so happen to be very very very small.

There you have it - no worries, all kow-tim*. And if prices do rise, it would have to be the rapacious doings of those unscrupulous transportation companies or food retailers.

* solved

But wait ... maybe there could well be another reason ... communists!

Yes, those sinister Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist-Maoist-Chin-Pengist's could be anywhere.

Don't believe me? Look, there is a memorial in Nilai dedicated to those pinkos, that could subvert the government's wonderful price controls on essential goods ... unless of course action is taken to smash that monument to smithereens - thanks in large part to the timely warning of Goeb ... er ... Zainuddin Mydin, minister of information, who as he humbly confessed to us, "cannot have made a mistake or misunderstood history".

With so many brilliant and talented ministers and officals, I could cry at our most abundant misfortune and banelessings. If I were religious, I would say God has been unkind, indeed unfair to us .. er ... others for bestowing us with a monopoly of such stupidendous leadership.