Editorial
Runaway price hike
Passing the blame on to the media is unfortunate
THE media has been the whipping boy, particularly of government policy planners, for whatever failure they encounter. Recently, two very senior ministers of the government, the finance and commerce ministers, have criticised the media for what they termed as the excessive media focus on the subject that has contributed to the price spiral.
We also find the observation of one of the ministers, that there is no dissatisfaction amongst the public in spite of the price rise since no adverse reaction from them is apparent, has surprised us.
There has been an apparent irreversible price escalation that has taken a quantum jump with the onset of Ramadan. The much-hyped TCB intervention has not delivered; it has, if anything, been at best a drop in the ocean.
We would like to emphasise that whatever may be the factors, external or internal, that have contributed to the price increase, it was the responsibility of the government to have anticipated those and made adequate provisions to keep the prices within reach of the poor and the middle class. It is regrettable that, in spite of the many assurances of the commerce minister, things have not turned out as he, and we the common people, had hoped they should have. Undeniably, the ultimate responsibility of keeping the prices within affordable limits rests with the government.
We must emphasise the fact that the media is merely rendering a public service, as much as the government ministries are in their own way, by keeping people informed; and prices of essentials is something that merits extensive coverage by the media, not only for the benefit of the people but also, equally importantly, too keep the government conversant with the latest market condition, as well to keep them informed about the failure or success of its policies, if any.
We would like to call upon the government to tell us what exactly we should do in this regard. Can the ministers guarantee fall in prices if the media decided to blank out the price situation of essentials for a week or two? We wonder.
We feel that the need at this time is to delve into the causes and evolve measures that would help stem price hike. For example, it should find out why is there so much of difference between the import price and the market price of goods as well as between wholesale and retail prices, and do something about it. Merely making the media scapegoat will not do. It is not a constructive approach but merely goes to expose government's lack of grip of the market and price situations.
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