THE Sekretariat Solidariti Rakyat (SSR) has warned the federal government that it will hold a protest if food prices are not stabilised soon.

SSR in a statement urged the government to take immediate steps to lower food item prices.

Checks showed that some vegetable prices have surged by up to 200% in the past fortnight, said the Consumers Association of Penang president Mohideen Abdul Kader last week.

These vegetables are broccoli, which now cost RM20/kg from RM8/kg, cauliflower (RM16/kg from RM7/kg) and sawi pendek (RM9/kg from RM3/kg).

SSR said it will not hesitate to take to the streets if nothing is done to reduce the prices.

“People have lost their jobs and the Covid-19 infection has not yet gone down, but what we hear from the top is about politicians who are busy distributing state property by creating unnecessary positions in the administration.”

This is not the first time the collective has threatened to mobilise over an issue, as it was also behind a series of black flag protests this year.

On July 3, SSR, using the #lawan hashtag, called more than 2,000 protesters to Dataran Merdeka to demand the resignation of then prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, and the restoration of Parliament and loan moratoriums to ease financial burdens caused by Covid-19.

On July 17, it again held a protest at Dataran Merdeka over the handling of the pandemic by the government, which saw youth carrying black flags and mock corpses representing the Covid-19 dead.

On July 24, there was another movement – protesters attached black flags on their vehicles in various states to protest the government.

Protesters returned to Dataran Merdeka on August 19, where they held a candlelight vigil to pay tribute to the Covid-19 dead and denounce the handling of the pandemic by the government.

Police had arrested 31 individuals and compounded them RM2,000 each. The public has since raised funds to help them pay the fines. – December 7, 2021.