KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Putrajaya was disingenuous with its sudden increase to fuel prices today, according to the youth wings of PAS and DAP who also accused it of cowardice and causing consumers to panic with the unexpected increase.

PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat added that the hike will essentially negate the 1 Malaysia People’s Aid (BR1M) set to be announced when Budget 2015 is tabled later this month.

“Are the country’s thinkers so bereft of ideas that they must resort to the drastic move by raising petrol and diesel prices without assessing the impact it would have on the people?” he said in a statement today.

“How is it that Malaysia, as an oil-producing nation, burdens its own people with fuel price hikes?”

Suhaizan pointed out that the move to increase pump prices of petrol and diesel by 20 sen a litre would create a domino effect for the prices of other goods and services.

Separately, DAP Socialist Youth chief Teo Kok Seng pointed out that the increase was announced after Barisan Nasional (BN) won the Pengkalan Kubor by-election in Kelantan.

“The Barisan Nasional (BN) government should have announced the matter during the run-up to the Pengkalan Kubor by-election to enable the people to make a more informed and right choice, and this would have changed the result of the by-election,” Teo said in another statement.

Teo alleged that timing the news only after it won the poll suggested that BN no longer dared to be open and forthright on its policies, saying that those who supported the coalition must now feel betrayed.

Teo also pointed out that BN’s election manifesto in Election 2013 had vowed to address spiralling cost of living.

“However, since BN’s victory in GE 13, Malaysians have only been witnessing various price hikes which has increased their burden,” he added.

Yesterday, the Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Ministry announced that the revised retail price of RON95 petrol and diesel is now RM2.30 and RM2.20 per litre, respectively.

The ministry added that the government was still incurring a overall fuel subsidy bill of over RM21 billion despite cutting subsidies for RON95 and diesel.

Putrajaya is under pressure to reduce its chronic overspending to 3.5 per cent of GDP this year, and has embarked on aggressive cost-cutting measures since last September, including slashing of fuel and sugar subsidies and approving an increase to electricity tariffs.