PETALING JAYA: Reassured by the efforts to battle the rising cost of living issue, consumer and business groups say the government should move away from the “subsidy mentality” and focus more on food security.
Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) education officer NV Subbarow said as the government could not afford to subsidise everything, it should consider other options to help control the prices of goods.
“The government must make sure that prices of basic food items are maintained.
“Look at abolishing the role of the middleman for example, as they are the cause of the vegetable and fish price increase,” he added.
Subbarow commended the government’s move to import eggs from India but hoped that its prices would not be increased as it would have an impact on the other egg-related dishes.
Restaurant and Bistro Owners Association vice-president Jeremy Lim said the body was most grateful to past efforts to peg the cost of living but said there was still a lot to do.
“The government needs to look beyond just price control. There should also be favourable policies to promote economic stability.
“We really do not have a silver bullet to solve this rising cost of living issue, there are so many moving parts contributing to the increase but what I know is there must be a collaborative mindset between private and public sectors in order for us to see some kind of positive outcome,” he said.
Lim said it was also important for the government to ramp up efforts to ensure food security.
“We have so much agricultural land but how much of it is used for food production? Policies should be in place so, in the future, we can be less reliant on imports,” he added.
Single mother Faridah Aziz, 52, said the RM150 schooling aid may not help much but said she remained grateful for it.
“It will at least help with the school uniforms,” said the mother of four.
On the egg crisis, Faridah said although it was easier to buy them, prices remained high.
“I hope the government can do something to reduce prices because many depend on eggs as their source of protein,” she added.
