PAPAR – A Special Meeting of the National Action Council on Cost of Living (Naccol), to be chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, will be held this Friday to discuss the cost of living issue, especially the rice supply issue in the country.
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the ministry, as the Naccol secretariat, has received confirmation from the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry that the issue of the country’s rice supply will be one of the matters to be raised for discussion.
“Since the enforcement of the Control of Padi and Rice Act 1994 (Act 522), the power to regulate padi and rice, including the direction of supply and price, is under the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry.
“Any changes involving government policies and programmes that are related to the padi and rice industry are under the responsibility of the agriculture minister in line with the order issued under the Ministerial Functions Act 1969,” he told reporters after attending a mass circumcision ceremony here today.
The programme involved 260 participants and eight mosques in the Kawang state constituency.
Armizan said that any official announcements regarding the country’s rice supply will be made by the Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, or a designated representative after decisions are reached by Naccol.
Subsequently, these decisions will be brought to the cabinet if they are significant and involve financial implications, he said.
He also said that with the cooperation of the Economy Ministry, through the Statistics Department, the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry will also raise for consideration the indicators to measure living costs at the meeting.
“If we don’t have time to discuss it at this Friday’s meeting, we will bring it to the Naccol meeting in March.
“We have a consumer price index, but if there is an indicator of the cost of living, we will be able to make a more comprehensive assessment, including in the context of the distribution of aid to the people.
“We know that in every district or region, the cost of living is different. The price of goods, including logistics costs, is different. Therefore, we need to establish the indicator but to establish that indicator, we need to involve policy because we need to see what components will be included,” he added.
Regarding the pressure of the cost of living that is becoming more and more burdensome, Amrizan said the problem is an issue facing all countries in the world.
“This increase in the cost of living is not only happening in Malaysia and if you look at the World Economic Forum report that was just released, in 2024 and for the next 10 years, one of the global challenges is the cost of living.
“So, it is not an issue to Malaysia only, but also the whole world,” he said. – February 18, 2024