Don't up prices at will!<\/p>\n
From Neraca<\/p>\n
The government has announced that it will not increase pay
\nrates for civil servants, Armed Forces members and retired
\npersonnel. But many traders have started increasing commodity
\nprices, saying it is due to the monetary crisis.<\/p>\n
As the wife of a government official with a fixed salary, I am
\nworried about commodity prices increasing without controls.<\/p>\n
It makes sense if the increases hit imported goods. But now
\nprices of all goods from the nine staple foodstuffs to luxurious
\nitems have doubled.<\/p>\n
Our purchasing power, which was relatively weak in 1997, will
\nfurther weaken in 1998 in these conditions. If in the past we
\nwere able to save, I think it will be impossible to do the same
\nthis year.<\/p>\n
Savings are meant to guard against contingencies like
\nsickness.<\/p>\n
Our suffering will be more acute if public transport operators
\nraise bus fares. It will make us increasingly powerless.<\/p>\n
I therefore appeal to all sides not to arbitrarily make
\ndecisions on things of interest to the general public.<\/p>\n
I know that traders and transport operators are having a hard
\ntime too. But if, in this difficult time, we act arbitrarily, all
\npeople will bear the burden.<\/p>\n
With their purchasing power weakened, consumers will become
\nweaker if traders increase their prices arbitrarily.<\/p>\n
SONI M.<\/p>\n
Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dont-up-prices-at-will-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }