Kudos to Supermarkets for Promising to Cut Prices

A Kadir Jasin

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THE Kedai Kopi Assembly (KKA) held an impromptu session in Tokyo, Japan on Jan 29 and 30 attended by an expatriate Malaysian and several ASEAN journalists.

The Brunei-based Malaysian journalist was interested to know more about home, believing that there are things I know but had not written in this blog.

We talked about the danger of the anarchy of the mind now invading the cyberspace and public places, may degenerate into real anarchy as is happening in Thailand, Egypt, Ukraine, Syria and many other countries.

Back home during that time, the Prime Minister, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, had just announced a nationwide price reduction campaign involving 10 selected supermarket chains, to help lessen the people's burden in the face of the rising cost of living.

According to a Bernama report, the first phase of the campaign for six months will be participated by supermarket chains Econsave, Mydin, KK Mart, Aeon, Aeon Big, Tesco, 99 Speedmart, NSK, Segi Fresh Mart and Giant. They have agreed to give discounts of 15% to 70%. Other reports say up to 4,000 items are included in the campaign.

Actually, despite his many miscalculations and broken promises, Mohd Najib could still do the right things if he gears up his mind and listens to good advice.

If the price reduction promise is genuine, it would help because many consumers now shop at supermarkets. But those who do not have access to supermarkets, meaning the poor in the rural areas, would be left out once again unless these price cuts also reach or include their local sundry shops.

In the event that rural consumers are left out, the injustice is absolute because they were the ones who propped up Mohd Najib and his BN coalition in last year’s general elections. They saved him from being swept away by the “tsunami Cina”.

It is well and good that the PM had toured the pasar and received the undertaking, but if enforcement officers do not do their job by making regular surprised checks, unscrupulous traders will continue to cheat and consumers will not get to enjoy the fruits of the PM’s labour.

Remembering the Buku Hijau Campaign

Chives (kucai) in my rooftop garden

I don’t know how effective it would if the government reintroduces the “Kempen Buku Hijau” of the Tun Abdul Razak’s era.

Long bean (kacang panjang), also in my rooftop kebun sayur

As a boy in the village in the 1960’s we were very excited about the green book campaign, partly because Tun Abdul Razak was behind it. As farmers, we had always been growing vegetables and raising chickens, ducks, goats, cattle and buffaloes. We did it our way and with our own resources.

In the padang: Tun Abdul Razak was synonymous with caring for the poor

When the campaign was introduced, we had agriculture officers and veterinarians visiting our kampung to give advice on modern farming. We received high-yielding vegetable seeds, chicks and ducklings. Later we were given modern breeds of cattle and buffalo under the “pawah” (share-cropping) system.

What that campaign did was to give the farmers the confidence that they were not being neglected and naturally many took part. Vacant plots were planted with vegetables and were used for raising animals.

Rural life has since changed. Intensive padi farming has taken away grazing land and housewives no longer want to have chickens and ducks around the house. “Kotor” (dirty), they say.

But I have seen in many villages people now raise cattle, buffaloes and goats in “kandang” (enclosures) for meat and milk. Fresh meat and milk sell at a premium.

Another round of green book campaign may be good. Many new farming techniques and planting materials have been developed in recent decades.

Even schools can be included in this new green book campaign. In Switzerland and many developed countries, school children are required to take part in vegetable and flower gardening as part of their co-curricular activities.

When I was at the Sekolah Melayu Pendang in the 1950’s, vegetable gardening and woodworking were compulsory. The baby boomers among debaters and visitors of this blog may still remember those get down and dirty easier days.

Giving people knowledge and inputs for producing things, to my mind, is better than giving them cash to spend.

Young People Must Confront Politicians

Another impromptu KKA session was held on board a Malaysia Airlines’ Boeing 777 en route from Tokyo to Kuala Lumpur. It involved a young female Malay marketing executive for a Malaysian multinational chemical company.

Her name is Umi.

She was accompanying her divisional president and another manager on a two-day marketing trip to Japan. They sell petroleum-based industrial aromatics.

Since she is the same age group as one or two of my own children, we had a father and daughter chat. We talked about the importance of being earnest and honest.

But most importantly, we talked about the importance of young people paying attention to politics and taking interest in how the politicians are running (or ruining) the country. It is their future that is at stake.

Love or hate, young people must take interest in politics

I told her that she and her generation should use modern technology at their disposal to confront and engage politicians irrespective of parties, race and religion.

They must demand to be heard and be informed of what the politicians have in store for them. They cannot be passive and risk their future being messed up by inept self-serving corrupt politicians.

The young must confront all political parties

I told her that at the rate things are going, I am mortally fearful of her future, the future of my children, grandchildren and every young Malaysian. Malaysia could already be off its best. Wallahuaklam.