By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, April 27: The federal government will form two technical committees in Sarawak and Sabah to address the price of goods issues in both States, says Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
The committees will formulate more specific and targeted strategies to address the issue following a recent presentation of findings from studies conducted by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to the committee.
“Initial findings indicate that one of the main factors contributing to the high prices of goods in both States is the high logistics cost of transporting goods from Peninsular Malaysia,” he told reporters after attending the Rahmah MADANI Sales programme at Emart Riam in Miri, which was reported in Bernama.
He added that although certain goods in Sarawak are cheaper, the prices of most daily necessities remain higher due to geographical factors and shipping costs.
The two technical committees would involve collaboration with the two universities and will be co-chaired by representatives from both the federal and State governments.
“Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof will soon hold a meeting with the Premier of Sarawak to discuss the appointment of the chairman and deputy chairman of the technical committee in Sarawak, while I will personally meet with the Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, for the same purpose,” he said.
In addition, basic goods such as sugar are also a concern, as Sabah and Sarawak do not have their own sugar refineries, further contributing to higher costs.
With the establishment of the technical committees, the government aims to develop long-term action plans, including allocation planning under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP), currently being finalised through the Ministry of Economy, to strengthen food security and stabilise prices in East Malaysia. — DayakDaily
