Stupid Analogy: Tariff Increase vs. Cigarettes

PUTRAJAYA 4 Mei - Menteri Tenaga, Air dan Komunikasi, Datuk Seri Lim Keng Yaik membayangkan kadar tarif baru elektrik akan bermula bulan depan dan kenaikan itu sama dengan `harga sebungkus rokok sahaja'.

Beliau berkata, cadangan kenaikan minimum tersebut dibuat kerana kerajaan tidak mahu tarif baru elektrik membebankan golongan berpendapatan rendah.

``Saya memberi jaminan kenaikan tarif baru hanya sama dengan harga sebungkus rokok sahaja (harga sebungkus rokok 20 batang RM7) sebab kerajaan tidak mahu kenaikan itu memberi kesan besar kepada rakyat khususnya golongan berpendapatan rendah.

Utusan

"I will guarantee that the new tariff increase will only be as much as a pack of cigarettes (a pack of 20 costs RM7) because the government does not want the increase to cause a big impact to the rakyat especially those with lower income." - Lim Keng Yaik

Does that mean those (lower income) who can afford to buy a pack of cigarette, can also afford another pack? Or does it mean you should quit buying cigarettes (and quit smoking in the process) and save up to pay for your electricity bills?

I can safely assume that this minister is a smoker, and he must have assumed that all low income earners are smokers as well.

I'll just sit back and wait for the I-was-quoted-out-of-context routine.