Traders will start to hike the price of rice, fish, vegetables, flour, bread, food and everything else that you can think of.

I am left wondering why the Government felt it necessary to implement such a dramatic increase in the price of petrol. Why couldn't they move prices up by 20 sen and do it again next year and so on. They could even do it every three months and within a year they would still have increased it by 80 sen.

Those who make RM10, 000 a month or more may think that the 78sen increase is manageable but what about those who make RM2, 500 per month or less. How would they manage?

I understand that the fuel subsidy now stands at RM53 billion and will probably increase but this is one mega project that the people fully support, the one huge expenditure that no one will begrudge the Government.

We are still a net exporter of oil so the Government can continue to afford the subsidy because our oil income is also ballooning.

Whatever the Government saves in terms of subsidy, the people will have to pay from our own pocket and we, the people are not seeing our income expanding in line with oil prices, Are we?

Oil income increases so subsidy increases. That seems like a workable solution at least in the short to medium term.

Compare that with fuel prices increasing by 40.625 per cent, a burden that the people have to bear on the same measly pay packet.

Where is the logic in that?

A family with total household income of RM3, 000 or less is going to be so badly hit that any advice for a change of lifestyle is not going to be even remotely funny; it is salt rubbing into their wound.

Don't tell us to use public transportation because the Government has neglected it into a ramshackle system

Don't tell us to change our lifestyle when all most people can manage is scrape through every month

Don't tell us that the Government cannot afford it because we can afford it even less

A friend asked me; Why can't they increase sin tax by a huge amount to pay for the subsidies?

What burden would it impose on the people if cigarettes cost RM12 per packet, beer at RM12 per can, movie tickets at RM12 per entry, Jack Daniels at RM450 per bottle?

The rich will absorb the extra increase in fuel prices in their stride but the majority of Malaysians will suffer.

I thought that Government is for the benefit of the people and not its benefit. What we would like to know now is this. What is the Government going to do with all that saved subsidy? Pay for mega projects that the people do not want? Another Monsoon Cup? What else?

From now on we the people will have to be more critical of Government spending.

Corruption that bleeds the nation of billions every year cannot be tolerated anymore. Useless projects and wasteful publicity campaigns must be a thing of the past

In fact it is the Government that must change its lifestyle so that it can afford to serve the people better