Price increases will be a very important factor that can and will cause BN’s downfall in the next general election.

Media Statement by M Kula Segaran, MP for Ipoh Barat and DAP National Vice Chairman on December 28, 2013

Price increases will be a very important factor that can and will cause BN’s downfall in the next general election. 

Former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir’s criticisms about the federal government’s price increases should not come as a surprise. 

On December 24, Umno MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamad has said that the increase in prices of goods and services will result in Barisan Nasional losing even more votes in the 14th general election.

It is so obvious to all that the price hikes will hurt the public and the public are angry with the government, yet the federal government still thinks that the people will accept such painful measures and is not listening to the people. 

I don’t find many issues which I can agree with Mahathir when he was the Prime Minister, but I certainly support the questions raised by him in his blog 2 days ago, that is - We must accept that the Government needs more money with the passage of time. But should the increase be as big as the Government says. Should the taxes and rates come all at the same time?

In fact, anyone will agree that government taxes must not be too high and come all at the same time.

Why has the government become so insensitive and arrogant?

The recent announcement of electricity hike of 15% is certainly huge and will overburden the taxpayers and industries. Yet despite many voices of objections including from Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin who is a Cabinet member, the government has not agreed to conduct a review. 

Perhaps the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib thinks that the people will forget all the pains brought by the price increases when he calls for the nation’s 14^th general election in 4 year’s time.

Let me tell Najib that he can ignore public criticisms and he can forget and abandon his ‘People First’ slogan, but the voters will know which party to vote at the next general election. 

Nur Jazlan has said that the price increases will cause BN to lose votes in the next general election, I am very sure that the price increases will be a very important factor that can and will cause BN’s downfall at the next general election. 

BN will not only lose votes due to the implementation of painful measures, it will also pay the price for misleading the people as many voters now know that the measures were only postponed due to BN’s desperation to win the 13^th general election.

Now, BN government not only has to deal with  the nation’s chronic budget deficit, it has to deal with “ trust deficit” of the people due to its misleading of the people at the 13^th general election.