A popular food court in the heart of the city of Kuala Lumpur charges RM1.03 per 500ml of bottled mineral water. Popular convenience stores nationwide charge between RM1.83 to RM2.05 for a 600ml of mineral water. Hypermarkets price it at around RM1.00. But some one-man-show retailers in the city centre charge RM1.50.

Mind you, all these mineral water are from right under our feet in Malaysia and not imported from some pristine springs in faraway lands - like the Alps, for instance.

Simple math shows that while Malaysia’s own mineral water is averaging RM1.40 per 500-600ml, the pump price for petrol in Malaysia (imported and sold as of June 2015) is only RM1.18 for RON 97 and RM1.03 for diesel for the same volume.

The point to reflect and ask the Najib Abdul Razak administration is why is a tropical country charging so much and obviously at an uncontrolled pricing, for water?

If clean drinking water obtained from our own yard costs more than fuel, and if you use this very basic and essential item as a benchmark, can you imagine what the price of all other food items would be costing?

And let us not forget we are not living in tents in the Sahara Desert!

And, if water can range from RM1.03 to RM2.05, can you imagine what else is being sold at uncontrolled prices?

And yet, our people in high places preach that Malaysia’s fundamentals are still strong. What is the humble, slogging, working class supposed to make out of all this especially when trapped in the web of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the country?

Not only that. We also need to ask our prime minister if his RM1.00 chicken is still available for the rakyat.

And let us not forget the Malaysian Customs, too. They just proudly announced that some RM6 million has been netted from the GST. So how much of that came from mineral water please?

What development are we talking about? And how will Najib’s pet project, the promised economic miracle called 1MDB which also has the support of Najib’s administration relieve Malaysians of the pressing inflation in the country, let alone make mineral water from a tropical country cheaper than the cost of fuel?

Perhaps, the Bank Negara Governor needs to tells us voters - the ordinary rakyat, what are these mysterious ‘fundamentals’ that are ‘strong’ when we are not only paying more for clean water compared to fuel costs but also have to put up with a 100 percent price range of between RM1.03 to RM2.05 for the same water from the same country.

Pray we do not get some smart minister rebut, saying, “Pi gali perigi sendirilah” (Go dig your own well if you have to complain so much).