“If you ask me, God has never asked anyone to raise or lower prices. However, only those who don’t believe in God raise prices,” Shahbudin Husin the analyst quoted Hamzah as saying. “Where did this Minister study religion?”

“Abdul Hadi Awang, PAS President, should advise Hamzah, engage with him and give him some guidelines on belief in God.”

In short, the analyst fails to see the connection between belief in God and raising prices of goods or otherwise in the market. “It was not so long ago, on July 28 last year, that people were glad to see Hassan’s back. They expected someone better than Hassan to replace him, or at least not somebody worse and/or who issues statements that make no sense.”

Shahbudin pointed out the Ministry was the closest to the people especially when it comes to prices in the market for daily essentials, and whether they move up or go down. “If the Minister cannot help stabilise prices, at least don’t make statements that make no sense.”

“Such statements are merely to cover up one’s own weaknesses.”

The traders can’t be expected to maintain their old prices just because they believe in God, added the analyst, although the prices of have gone up. “If that’s the case, the traders in Mecca and Madinah probably have never increased their prices.”

Alternatively, said Shahbudin, it cannot be said that traders don’t believe in God if they raise prices when they should. “This brings us to the government raising taxes and imposing GST, and cutting subsidies, all of which have caused prices to rise in the market.”

“Does it mean that the government and the Ministers can be grouped together with those who don’t believe in God.”

Shahbudin in summing up, said it was really difficult when ‘problematic’ Ministers are replaced by others who are equally problematic. “The government that appoints such Ministers and replaces them with others like them must be bogged by ‘problems’ as well.”