It is an open secret that Communications and Multimedia Minister Annuar Musa is likely to be dropped as an UMNO candidate in the coming general election because he belongs to a dissident UMNO camp that is fervently opposed to UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. However, both Annuar and Ahmad Zahid share similar traits in that they live in an alternate false reality that is delusional and disconnected from the real lives of Malaysians by putting their own selfish political interests ahead of the rakyat.
Ahamd Zahid shocked Malaysians last Saturday when he demanded early general elections this year, even if held during the monsoon season and in the midst of massive floods. Ahmad Zahid made the infamous vow that BN is prepared to wade through floods to campaign if GE15 is held during the monsoon season. Clearly for UMNO, holding and winning elections is more important than saving property and people’s lives affected by floods. This is not only irresponsible, selfish and cruel, but a betrayal of the people’s trust to put their interests, safety and lives first ahead of political interests.
Similarly, Annuar Musa made the shocking remark that the government views the current decline in the value of the ringgit against the US dollar as only temporary. Annuar Musa is both wrong and dishonest. The current decline of value of the ringgit against the US dollar is not temporary when the Ringgit has weakened by almost 9% this year from RM4.17 at end 2021 to the current 24-year low of RM4.54.
Will Annuar not listen to how much more Malaysians have to pay for the price of a declining ringgit over the past year in the form of higher costs of imports? These additional costs are definitely not temporary in nature and cannot be recouped. Coupled with the failure of Annuar Musa as the Chairman of the Special Cabinet Task Force on Jihad against Inflation, Malaysians are also paying higher interest costs.
After Annuar became Chairman of Jihad Against Inflation in June, inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index(CPI) rose from 3.4% in June to 4.4% in July whilst food inflation rose by 6.1% in June to 6.9% in July. Such failures to stem inflation led Bank Negara to increase the Overnight Policy Rate by 25 basis points to 2.5% this month.
Annuar Musa is also wrong to imply that the decline in the value of the ringgit is principally against the US dollar. Against the Singapore dollar, the ringgit has recently dipped to a historic low of RM3.26 whilst the Indonesian rupiah has appreciated by more than 4% this year against the ringgit.
Annuar’s ignorance and ostrich in the sand approach about the decline in the value of our ringgit as temporary shows that he does not know what he is doing. This level of incompetence is prevalent amongst the Cabinet and has only compounded the hardship of the rakyat and businesses demanding leadership to help them deal with soaring prices, stagnant wages, severe labour shortages and poor governance.