MALAYSIA: In Malaysia, politics is perhaps the national sport, and it is one of the biggest topics discussed on social media platforms.
When a ruling party assemblyman commented on a 50 sen increase in noodles, pushing a bowl of yee mee to RM10 (S$3.17), he drew various responses online.
A week ago, Rawang assemblyman Chua Wei Kiat, who hails from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s party PKR, responded to public anger over rising prices of noodles.
His reply was blunt: “If you think something is too expensive, you can choose not to buy it and look for cheaper alternatives,” he stated.
“When the market response tells sellers that prices are too high and business drops, they will reflect and adjust on their own.”
He used analogies with reference to coffee and the Palestine issue with boycotts that were reigning high in Malaysia to explain his point.
“When everyone rushes to buy RM15 coffee, the market is telling businesses that RM15 is acceptable, and other sellers will follow that signal to maximise their profits.
“Remember during the Palestine issue, when many Malaysians boycotted several big brands, and places that used to have long queues suddenly became empty? What happened then? Businesses were forced to lower prices to survive,” he added.
He also pointed out that Malaysia’s free-market economy depends on consumer behaviour that may significantly influence prices.
While it’s true that major brands like Starbucks and McDonald’s faced significant pressure from boycotts in Malaysia — leading to widespread outlet closures (over 100 Starbucks stores shut down or temporarily closed, and similar impacts on McDonald’s) — they have not broadly lowered their core menu prices in response.
Overall, he urged consumers to use their purchasing power by choosing cheaper alternatives, emphasising that the government can only manage raw material costs, not dictate retail prices.
His “economics lesson” post faced some backlash for appearing to lecture rather than offer solutions, while some backed him in his views.
Chua’s “economics lesson” post sparked mixed reactions: while some criticised it for coming across as lecturing constituents rather than proposing practical solutions, others supported his perspective and appreciated the explanation of market dynamics.
Comments on social media
One netizen showed support, saying that the government should not intervene in the market, emphasising that Malaysia is not a communist country and prices should be determined by supply and demand.
He stated, “Simple supply and demand. Government shouldn’t intervene too much, but to say, while some (complain) the hawker price is expensive because the price increases 50sens.” In his opinion, if consumers truly find the prices too expensive—like the 50 sen increase for yee mee—they should stop buying, and over time, the stall will lower prices due to reduced demand.
Another agreed that Chua Wei Kiat spoke the truth about supply and demand, saying, “Price is keep going up because there is spending from us.” He believes inflation stays low without strong demand, however, pointing out that Chua’s mistake was delivering the message too bluntly and arrogantly, forgetting that people are sensitive, often look for others’ faults, and prefer easy solutions from leaders rather than hard truths.
“Of course the government is at fault,” another stated, blamingthe government for rising prices, pointing to policies like reduced petrol and diesel subsidies, higher taxes on stall and shop rentals, increased logistics costs, the shift to a digital economy requiring businesses and the public to handle tax collection, minimum wage hikes, EPF contributions for foreign workers, and mandatory e-invoicing. He argues that these measures directly increase operational costs, which are ultimately passed on to consumers.
