Originally published in The Malaysian Insider 05 September 2014
Taken from a post by Horn bill unleashed
https://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2014/09/06/63116/
SHERIDAN MAHAVERA, LOOI SUE-CHERN, QUEK YIING HUEY
In our continuing series on the high cost of living in Malaysia, we
ask low-income families whether ‘luxuries’, such as an Internet plan and
Astro subscription are now necessities? Can people do without them?
Have Internet connection plans, mobile data plans and Astro become as indispensible as mobile phones, computers and cars?
The Malaysian Insider spoke to several families in the Klang Valley and
Penang on whether these services were things that even low-income
families cannot do without.
What emerges is a picture of how these “luxuries” compensate for the
inability of low-wage earners to provide other things like recreation or
childcare for their children.
Ghafar Mohamad, who lives in Klang, Selangor, believes that any
family with secondary school students like his own could not do without
an Internet plan.
“Primary schoolchildren nowadays have homework which requires them to
go on the Internet,” said the 52-year-old business consultant with four
children. Three are between the ages of 11 and 16.
Ghafar himself needs to go online for work, so the family spends RM68
a month on a basic Internet plan. Since he and his wife bring in about
RM 6,500 a month, he is willing to ensure their children do not have to
rely on cybercafes.
“With cybercafes, you’re not sure what they are doing there. At least with home Internet, you can monitor what they’re surfing.”
His sentiment was shared by all but one of the 13 families
interviewed. The only household that did not need the web was Tee Seng
Yean’s. The 78-year-old has no children or grandchildren living with
him.
Even fathers who cannot afford a home Internet connection, such as
Ojaran Fakharurrazi Omar, 37, from Penang, are willing to shell out
money for their children to use a cybercafe, despite its risks.
“I
have given my son money to use the cybercafe for Internet access to get
his schoolwork done,” said Ojaran, of his nine-yeMohd Hafiz Abd Aziz
says a data plan is necessary for work despite the high cost of signing
up for one.
Mohd Hafiz Abd Aziz says a data plan is necessary for work despite the high cost of signing up for one.
Mobile Internet plans, however, are considered a necessity by four of the 13 families interviewed.
Ghafar, Michael De Cruz and Yazid Othman of Kuala Lumpur, and Mohd
Hafiz Abd Aziz of Penang, claimed a data plan was necessary for work.
“A mobile data plan is a must. It’s necessary to communicate with
friends,” said Yazid, 33, who works as a delivery person for a watch
company.
Datuk Paul Selvaraj of consumer group Fomca said as the Internet had
become a primary method of communication for school and work, it could
be considered a necessity.
“But there are still issues of how much (bandwith) is a necessity and
what people use it for. The government should consider regulating the
industry so that there is a basic package that can be offered to
low-income families.”
When it came to an Astro, the number of households who thought it was
a necessity was about the same as those who felt an Internet connection
was necessary.
Those with Astro claimed that in this day and age, television viewing was almost impossible without it.
Ghafar had an interesting take on why his family needed Astro.
“You save on other forms of entertainment. You don’t need to spend on
movies any more and it helps keeps your children at home instead of
having them wandering around so they can get kidnapped.”
Zainal Ahmad echoed this, even though he only earns RM2,100 a month from manning a burger stall.
“My children complain that I don’t take them out. But I can’t take my
children out any more because money is short, so I have to provide an
alternative way to entertain them and keep them occupied.”
If he takes his wife and children to the mall, for example, Zainal
would have to spend on petrol, parking and food for six people.
A one-day outing could set him back by RM80 to RM100. In comparison, his Astro package is RM130 a month.
And then there is that other benefit, both Zainal and Ghafar agree,
for schoolgoing children in the form of TVIQ, an education-based channel
that provides exam and study tips.
Selvaraj, however, said cable television such as Astro should not be classified as a necessity.
“We are not ready to consider Astro a necessity. People will claim that they watch educational programmes.”
* This article was originally published in The Malaysian Insider on 05 Sept 2014. Since the website is no longer around, I am reposting it here for my own record. Many thanks to The Hornbill Unleashed for reposting the original.
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