Instead of cautioning employers on increasing wages which will lead to a second round of inflation, Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam should caution petrol companies, food sellers, transport operators and the like against another round of price hikes, as they have raised their prices numerous times.

Their hikes are high compared with workers' wage increases.

Their hikes can be done many times in a year, unlike workers' wage increases which are done only once a year.

Mr Alfred Soh

This article was first published in The Straits Times on 16 July 2008.