HAVE we not heard enough? “Traders should not up prices”; “Salary hikes should not lead to price hikes”; “No meaning if salary hikes are neutralised by price hikes”; and “Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs will monitor prices”.

All these do not mean anything at all to consumers — big and small — as we have been experiencing a gradual if not abrupt increase in prices on almost about anything from goods to services.

What else is inexpensive these days? The last increase I read about was on the price of rice which now costs 10 sen more, according to reports in the newspapers. So, even the price of rice isn’t nice anymore.

The increase in the price of rice allowed by Padiberas Nasional Berhad (Bernas) would lead to extra household monthly spending of between 50 and 70 sen per person.

The price of rice at wholesale had been increased by 5 and 10 sen per kg for white rice, fragrant rice and basmati rice with a 20 sen increase for glutinous rice.

What this means is that the price hike at the retail end cannot be avoided because the price of rice had increased by between 10 and 100 per cent since 2005.

Of course, there is or there are always reason or reasons offered whenever something has had its price upped in this country. In the case of rice, the explanation by Bernas is that the increase was due to rising handling costs and spiralling fuel prices resulting in an increase of between 30 and 50 per cent in shipping costs in the first six months of the year.

I don’t want to quarrel over the increase in prices or debate over the reasons of whether it is justified or not.

I just want to say the public, consumers especially, are just disappointed that the authorities continue to cave in and succumb to business pressures by allowing industries to up their prices over familiar excuses.

Even controlled items like rice are not spared. The public has lost faith in the empty promises to prevent price increases.

The Consumer Affairs and Domestic Trade Ministry is actually useless and should be disbanded as it gives lot of false hopes to the public.

The people are made to suffer by this endless cycle of price increases — even going to a stinking, filthy and unhygienic coffeeshop is an expensive affair. Worse are the income earners who are at the receiving end.