Outrage as govt propaganda chief claims daily goods cheaper now

Some social media users were up in arms over a Facebook post by Department of Community Communications director-general Mohammad Agus Yusoff depicting price comparisons of various kitchen items under the former Perikatan Nasional (PN) government and the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition government, calling it "illogical" and "unreasonable".

While the prices of cooking ingredients such as onion, cooking oil and chicken appeared to be similar to that of the market, the comment section on the Facebook post was filled with internet users questioning the price comparison of red chilli.

According to the infographic, red chilli under the PN administration was sold at RM50 to RM100 per kilogramme, whereas it is priced between RM12 and RM15 under the coalition government.

They also queried the facts presented by Agus, saying that he should not lie about the prices of goods since people buy kitchen items almost every day.

"Prof, don't share information at the level of a 'kangkung' professor.

"We, the common people, buy goods at the market every day. Don't pretend to do your work only to make a fool of yourself," wrote Ahmad Ismail Man.

"It's obvious that the prices are fabricated. When has the price of chilli ever reached RM50?" asked Mat Jusoh Dollah.

Other users meanwhile complained that the price of some goods were not the same as the prices shown in the infographic.

They said that the price of chicken in Sabah, for example, had reached RM13.90 per kilogramme compared to the RM9 per kilogramme shown.

"Which shop sells chicken at that price? I want to find it," wrote Amirah Nadzali.

Agus, who retired as a lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in July 2022, had expressed his support for PH chairman Anwar Ibrahim as the prime ministerial candidate in the 15th general election in his retirement statement.

He had also defended his involvement with G70, a group of 70 Malay professors who declared endorsement for Anwar to be prime minister during the general election campaign.

Agus however countered the comments on the post by questioning whether the cost of living had truly risen under the coalition government, adding that this narrative was brought on by PN to scare the people.

"Besides playing the religion and race cards, they also play up the issue of rising price of goods and daily necessities.

"They say the price of rice, sugar and eggs have increased. How can controlled prices increase like that? There are acts that control them.

"This is the reality. Look at the chart. Also, look up the information and data from the domestic trade and cost of living ministry," he said in the post.

But social media users continued to question the authenticity of the data.

One user, Iqbal Idham, said the cost of living issue does not involve political party rhetoric but rather the reality of people's every day life.

"They are going through it.

"Let's be careful when managing perceptions. We may not realise that we're trivialising what the people are going through."