I am never ceased to be amazed by the lack of awareness amongst consumers here in Malaysia. Probably through the long years of thought control since primary school until university, we have stopped thinking that we still possess individual will and things don't have to happen only with a directive from above.

It could well be that our reporters didn't know what to ask our humble minister Dr Leo Michael Toyad and that they have to ask his opinion about the RM100 buffet dinner. And sadly he had to respond the way he did. What next? Are we going to ask him about the RM8 burgers at McDonalds?

The power is with us as consumers! We don't need a minister to tell us what we know and we don't need him to tell the hotels what to do. Nobody is forcing us to pay RM100 to have dinner, and those who can afford to do so will continue doing it even if the dinner is RM250.

On the same note, I suggest the government relax control over petrol prices within a range, say with a 3% - 5% variation. Allow individual petrol stations to charge within this range. Let the oil companies fight it out among themselves for our business.

Then there will be no stupid threats of not accepting credit cards and holding consumers to ransom. Any collusion between oil companies should be harshly punished.