By Ling Hui
KUCHING, Dec 1: Minister for International Trade, Industry and Investment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said there is currently no restriction on the production of cement and it’s distribution in Sarawak.
He said any local company can buy cement from any part of Malaysia, and all imports from foreign countries are permitted, but subject to the approval from the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs.
“Any companies can also set up a cement manufacturing facility, subject to the approval of relevant authorities,” he said during his ministerial winding-up speech at the august House today.
Awang Tengah was responding to previous statements by Kota Sentosa assemblyman Wilfred Yap and Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong in their debates on the Supply (2023) Bill, 2022, touching on cement supply in Sarawak.
Yap had called upon the Sarawak government to terminate the monopoly on the manufacture and supply of cement and to open up the industry to other manufacturers and suppliers.
Yong, on the other hand, pointed out that the sole cement supplier and manufacturer in Sarawak has been Cahya Mata Sarawak Berhad, but the problem of cement shortages never seems to be fully resolved. — DayakDaily
