Wednesday June 14, 2006

Terengganu MB sells sugar from lorry

KUALA TERENGGANU: Would you expect the mentri besar of a state to sell you sugar?

That is exactly what is happening in Terengganu.

Under the blazing sun outside the Wisma Darul Iman state secretariat complex here, Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh sold more than 100 packets of sugar from a lorry parked by the roadside.

Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh personally ensured that the people in his state got their sugar supply when he helped to sell the item from a lorry outside Wisma Darul Iman in Kuala Terengganu on Tuesday.

People jostled to buy the sugar and some people even stopped to enquire whether the sugar was being distributed free.

It was part of the Gula Ada (there is sugar) campaign which Idris started following complaints of a sugar shortage here.

Besides Wisma Darul Iman, consumers can buy sugar at the Batu Burok public car park and outside the state Umno building in Jalan Batas Baru between 10am and 7pm.

“The sugar will be sold in the places until the problem of the shortage is resolved,” Idris said.

Each person was limited to two packets of sugar although many people were seen walking away with more than that number of packets.

Idris said the state government had asked the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry to increase the sugar supply to the state to 2,101 tonnes this month, which was 400 tonnes more than normal.

Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs state director Abdul Nasir Ahmad said three premises – one here and two in Dungun – were being investigated for putting conditions on sugar sales such as forcing consumers to buy another item such as cooking oil.

He said a shortage occurred whenever shopkeepers were waiting for their stocks to be replenished.

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