TELUK INTAN, May 23 — The opposition is deliberately confusing the people by making the baseless accusation that the government has failed to control the price of goods and the rising cost of living.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said although the government practised an open market system where prices were determined by supply and demand, it still intervened to control the price of essential items to avoid hardship to the people.

“When the price of rubber goes down, the opposition blame us, whereas rubber price is determined by the world market. It’s not that they (opposition) don’t know about this,” he said at a programme with the people in Kampung Sungai Samak, about 63km from here, today.

Earlier, Muhyiddin who is also deputy Umno president and deputy Barisan Nasional chairman, performed Friday prayers led by imam Masrul Abd Salam, at the village mosque.

Muhyiddin said the opposition also trying to cause fear among the people over the issue of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), to be implemented in April next year, but the government would provide special exemption for certain goods and services in the interest of the “rakyat” (people), compared to the GST implementd in other countries.

He said among the goods exempted from GST would be livestock products, all types of seafood and essential items like rice, sugar, salt, flour and cooking oil.

“In the Asean region, countries which have not implemented GST are Malaysia, Myanmar and Brunei. We want to explain the importance of GST first so that the people understand it before it is important.

“We should not easily be hoodwinked. There are also economic experts among the opposition and they know what is happening in other countries. They also know the old tax system cannot be used anymore; it must change to GST.

“But because they are politicians, they turn it (GST) into political fodder.  They say we (BN) are cruel, unfair and that GST will cause hardship to the people. All this is not true,” he said. — Bernama