Sunday May 4, 2008
Government considers price control for cement and steel bars
KUALA LUMPUR: The Government may come up with a mechanism to ensure that steel bars and cement are supplied to contractors at a reasonable price due to the rising cost of construction materials, said Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed.
He said this was to ensure that contractors did not suffer losses because the construction industry was one of the main contributors to the country’s economy.
Mohd Zin said he had received complaints from industry players and was concerned with the pressure that they were facing.
“I will discuss with the Finance Ministry and the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) on how best to solve this problem.
“We (ministry) will support all pro-active steps to ensure that the market price of both materials can be controlled to help industry players,” he told reporters after meeting with the strategic partners of the industry at his office yesterday.
He also urged the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) to train more skilled and semi-skilled workers to ensure a decrease in the dependency on foreign labour.
Mohd Zin said currently there were some 350,000 registered foreign workers attached to the industry, with the unofficial number being one million.
“I also hope to find a solution to how to ensure local skilled workers stay in the country instead of working abroad, especially in West Asia where the wages are more attractive.”
He said the ministry was reviewing and reprioritising projects under its purview for Ninth Malaysia Plan mid-term review.
“We will see which of the existing infrastructure needs to be upgraded and which new roads need to be constructed.
“For example, the Government plans to turn Sarawak into the country’s new rice bowl, and therefore we need to relook at the infrastructure elements there as well,” he added.
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