PORT DICKSON: Traders and businesses have been warned against profiteering following the salary hike for civil servants announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
In issuing the warning, Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said his officers had already been planning on ways to counter this when the proposal to give public sector employees a pay rise was made some time ago.
"We have already briefed the PM on this.
"This is crucial because we cannot allow anyone to sabotage efforts taken by the government to reduce the cost of living effects on the people, including civil servants," he said when met after being briefed on a raid carried out by his officers against illegal decanting of government-subsidised liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at an unnumbered premises here.
Armizan said his officers would go to the ground to monitor if traders and businesses have upped prices of goods or services although the salary hikes will take place only in December.
"This is important as there is always a risk of prices going up for no apparent reason," he said.
He said there should be no profiteering as the salary increase announced by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for civil servants had nothing to do with businesses and traders incurring additional costs or expenses.
"We will take stern action against anyone who is unable to provide us with an explanation why they increased prices of goods or services," he said, adding that Anwar was also scheduled to have a special session with the ministry's enforcement officers on Aug 23 where the PM will be briefed on measures taken to check profiteering activities.
On the raid at an unnumbered lot in Lukut here earlier, Armizan said his officers seized 186 cylinders, electronic weighing equipment and rubber hoses which were believed to have been used in illegal decanting of LPG.
The cylinders seized were the non-subsidised ones with a capacity of 50kg and the 12kg subsidised ones.
"Preliminary investigations revealed that the premises were not licensed to carry out a business involving controlled goods.
"We are now investigating who owned the land as well as the people behind the illegal operations," he said, adding that two suspects managed to flee before they could be detained.
The case, he said, was being investigated under the Control of Supplies Act 1961 and the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001.
Armizan said his officers have also carried out 27,971 operations nationwide under Ops Tiris 3.0 since Jan 1 this year.
"During the period, we registered 1,900 cases, seized items worth almost RM75mil and detained 469 individuals," he added.
