The price of petroleum has gone up and many Malaysians are complaining with a few actually taking to the streets to demonstrate against the price increase. I am surprised.

We all know many Malaysians love things that are expensive -- watches, clothes, shoes, cell phones and especially cell phones.

Just look at the trendy magazines and the advertisements in the newspapers and magazines - they are all for expensive things.

They just love to show that they can afford to buy and use expensive things, go to the American and other international fast-food restaurants (as a status thing) instead of eating almost the same type of foods at a nondescript stall (but there is no glamour).

Not many people want to flaunt their cheap cell phones and other gadgets. Even school children don’t do that. And Malaysians, too, have been known to replace things that are not yet broken or even cracked to get new ones - not necessarily cell phones or watches but even cars, if new models are available.

So I am surprised that there are many who complain when the prices if petrol is increased, including those who can ill-afford to smoke but who still do because smoking has been turned into the ‘in thing’ since long ago.

But who would want to smoke cigarettes which are cheap and not branded? So let's make petrol the new status symbol. What's the point in driving cars and other vehicles on cheap petrol?

I hope the government will embark on a new and exciting campaign to make it more fashionable and trendy to drive around in vehicles fueled by expensive and glamorous petrol or diesel.

Print stickers and distribute to those who want to paste them at the back of their vehicles which say, 'My petrol’s more expensive than yours’ or something. Why only be happy having expensive things and not expensive petrol and diesel also?