Ong Kian Ming
The Star Online
January 22, 2014

Fluctuations in the prices of goods and services are part and parcel of any economy.

UNDERLYING the furore surrounding kangkung brouhaha lies a much more fundamental political question. Namely, should we blame the Government for increases in the price of goods and not give the Government credit when the price of goods decrease?

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is at least half right when he questions the fairness of blaming the Government for rises in the price of let’s say, vegetables as a result of uncontrollable factors such as changes in weather conditions.

But if we should not blame the Government for uncontrollable increases in the prices of vegetables, surely we cannot praise the Government when the price of the same vegetables decreases? Gyrations in the prices of goods and services are part and parcel of any economy especially one with a decently functioning market for these goods and services. Read the rest of this entry »

by Azmi Sharom
Star
January 22, 2014

Brave New World

Things are being blown out of proportion over the issue with some viewing it through race-tinted glasses. Are they blind to the fact that the people who are annoyed at the kangkung remark are from all ethnic groups?

I DON’T like water morning glory a.k.a water spinach a.k.a kangkung. There’s a metallic tang to it that I find displeasing.

I much prefer kailan or bayam – the former fried with salted fish and the latter in a watery soup.

What has my taste in vegetables got to do with anything? Nothing really.

Just as the recent, rather humorous, jabs at the Prime Minister have nothing to do with his ethnicity.

It has plenty to do with his alleged insensitivity to the price hikes in the country (which affect every single Tan, Din and Harvin) and it has plenty to do with the fact that kangkung is funny (even its very name makes me giggle); but I can’t see where the Prime Minister’s ethnicity comes into play.

So, how is it racist? Read the rest of this entry »

By Mong Palatino
The Diplomat
January 22, 2014

Najib Razak’s gaffe involving the humble green veggie has become a rallying cry for the opposition.

Kangkung, or water spinach, has been trending in Malaysia since last week after Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak cited it as an example of a commodity that has become less expensive over the course of his administration.

Najib was responding to protests against rising prices caused by the government’s decision to cut subsidies. During the New Year celebration, thousands joined a street parade in Kuala Lumpur to denounce the increase in prices of basic goods and services such as petrol, sugar, and toll fees.

Najib complained that the government is often blamed for rising prices – but ignored when prices go down.

“When the prices come down, why are there no praises for the government? When it goes up, the government gets the blame. This is unfair because [such issues are determined by] the weather condition,” Najib said in Bahasa.

Then, he highlighted kangkung’s cheap price in the market: “I read in the newspaper that some prices have come down. Kangkung prices once went up and now it is down.”

This remark ignited an uproarious public reaction. It unleashed a kangkung meme which quickly went viral on social media. Najib’s enemies used it to criticize the government’s economic policies, in particular the slashing of subsidies for sensitive consumer goods. They painted Najib as a clueless leader and insensitive to the worsening situation of the poor. Read the rest of this entry »