Friday, April 04, 2008

When subsidy is a norm

Proof that subsidy has become a norm here. From an article in today's The Jakarta Post (4/4/2008) -- emphases added:

Non-subsidized electricity costs between 17 and 22 percent more than normal rates.

Ideally, subsidy is an emergency help. That is, it should not become a permanent policy. But the fact that people perceive non-subsidy as not normal is a reflection of thinking the other way around.

Without altering the meaning, I could have written, otherwise, as follows:

Subsidized electricity costs between 17 and 22 percent lower than normal rates.

Wait, maybe it does alter the meaning.

2 comments:

Dino said...

Sometimes people dont know that they are being subsidized, and they get angry once the subsidy is cut. I think subsidy for gas is a big mistake. Indonesian people are not facing the reality that the whole world is facing.

You have a really smart blog. Nice to know you.

Anonymous said...

saya setuju, menurut saya, salah satu kesalahan dari pemerintahan Indonesia adalah berusaha keras menjaga agar harga-harga tetap murah dengan cara memberikan subsidi, yang semakin lama menjadi semakin besar dan sulit ditanggung (ditambah dengan berbagai efek samping lainnya)..
mungkin sebaiknya pemerintah lebih berfokus pada bagaimana meningkatkan pendapatan rata-rata masyarakat Indonesia..