JOB opportunities in Kelantan are very limited now, making Mohd Shahrul, 32, determined to return to Kuala Lumpur to make a living.

The Institut Kemahiran Bina Negara graduate said he was tired of helping his parents sell fruit and wanted to return to his old job of cleaning planes at the airport hangar.

The work stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but Mohd Shahrul believes the industry has recovered, though incompletely. 

However, he was concerned that things would get tougher for him with the increasing cost of living, more so with the recent diesel subsidy rationalisation.

He spoke to The Malaysian Insight as he participated in the Demi Negara rally against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in Putrajaya on Saturday.

“I just arrived (from Kelantan) yesterday, that’s why I was able to come here. But actually, I want to go to my relative’s house in Sepang while looking for work,” he said.

Mohd Shahrul said he wanted to see for himself what the rally – widely promoted on social media by influencers such as YB Viral and Papa Berry – was all about.

“The BlackRock issue was also mentioned,” he said, following the polemic about the firm’s investment links in Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB).

He said the issue was of concern to him because he knows BlackRock is involved in “producing weapons to bomb Palestinians”.

Asked if he was satisfied with the government’s explanation regarding BlackRock’s investment through Global Infrastructure Partners in MAHB, Mohd Shahrul shook his head.

“(Anwar) didn’t answer, just spin. He just said (BlackRock’s investment) also happened when Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Sabri Yaakob were prime ministers,” he said.

When asked about BlackRock’s investment in the mining industry in Kelantan, Mohd Shahrul said that was only a minor issue.

“It is little compared to MAHB where BlackRock has a higher stake,” he said.

Mohd Shahrul is more concerned with the higher cost of living, which he fears will balloon if the government removes the subsidy for RON95 petrol.

Not far from Mohd Shahrul, another participant, Alia, stood behind a tree to take shelter from the afternoon sun.

“This is the first time I have participated in such a gathering. I found out about this rally through the Telegram application, in the Suara Rakyat political content channel,” said the single mother from Kampung Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur.

Alia was also unhappy with the government’s explanation about the BlackRock deal.

“I am not satisfied because the government only spins. The PM only wants to blame the previous governments,” she said.

Also present at the rally was Edy, a Bersatu activist from Malacca who saw the rally as important to raise the issues of rising diesel prices and daily necessities.

He said the subsidy adjustment needed to be opposed because it made life harder for many people.

“I drive a four-wheel drive diesel engine. My monthly diesel expenses used to be RM800. Now I have to spend RM1,600 a month.

“Getting help of RM200 a month from the government is not enough,” he said, adding that he had been forced to only buy things that were truly necessary.

He also said prices of staple foods had increased with the removal of the diesel subsidy.

Commenting on the BlackRock issue, he, too, felt the government had failed to explain the matter thoroughly.

He said the government should not let BlackRock control MAHB.

Meanwhile, a teenager named Shahrul said he was facing problems with the rising prices of goods.

“I see the prices of motorcycle spare parts are getting more expensive now. I know because I ride a motorcycle to work,” said the 18-year-old, who works part-time at a shoe store in Kajang.

He said the minimum wage of RM1,500 was inadequate to cover the cost of living.

Meanwhile political activist Hishamuddin Rais said Malaysians were still in the dark over the BlackRock issue.

“It doesn’t bite much compared to the increasing prices of goods and food,” he said.

Political analyst Asrul Hadi Abdullah, however, said the opposition would continue to use the BlackRock issue to create a scandal as big as the 1MDB fiasco.

He said the BlackRock controversy could increase the suspicions of rural Malay voters towards the Anwar administration.

He, too, said people would be more concerned with cost-of-living issues. – July 4, 2024.