‘Cooking oil price hike not burdensome’
THE government’s price rationalisation of cooking oil will not burden the rakyat as the increase in cost is only minimal.
Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin (pix) said a person would only have to spend RM2.25 on cooking oil every month on average.
In drawing a comparison, he said the rakyat has been paying more to consume mineral water as opposed to purchasing the rationalised cooking oil.
“Based on our calculation, a person on average uses around 1.5kg of cooking oil per month, which works out to only RM2.25 every month,” he said.
“The mineral water a person drinks everyday costs much more than the oil that is processed and used by the rakyat,” he said during the Minister’s Question Time.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Lim Guan Eng (DAP-Bagan) who had claimed that the latest cooking oil price rationalisation would be a burden to consumers.
Subsidies on cooking oil were removed effective yesterday, except for 1kg polybags and 5kg bottles of cooking oil.
Hamzah said the rationalisation was necessary to ensure that the subsidies provided by the government would reach the targeted group. “I have instructed the enforcement team to conduct daily monitoring of business premises to prevent leakages,” he said. He added the government had retained the subsidy on the 1kg polybag package to cater to the low-income group. “Those who find it hard to buy polybags and want to buy oil in bottles are welcome to do so, but have to pay the market price,” he said.