The Sun (Malaysia)

‘Cooking oil price hike not burdensome’

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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.

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