National Cost of Living Action Council to hold first meeting in Feb

PUTRAJAYA: The National Cost of Living Action Council, which was announced during the Umno General Assembly last month will hold its maiden meeting by February.

Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the council would comprise five clusters, namely transport, food and beverage, utilities, housing and education.

He said the council would also include nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and intellectuals who had expertise in each cluster, to ensure that decisions taken would have long-term impact.

“We will only convene the meeting once members of each cluster receive the letter of appointment,” he told reporters after delivering his New Year’s message to the ministry’s staff here yesterday.

Earlier in his speech, Hamzah said apart from addressing the cost of living, the council would also focus on educating students on their responsibilities, ethics and consumer rights at school-level.

On the ‘Jualan Sentuhan Rakyat’ (People’s Outreach Sale) programme, he said it was held in nearly 30 locations nationwide via initiatives by local leaders in collaboration with the ministry.

Following good public response from the public, he added, the ministry would continue to support local leaders who wished to organise the programme.

“If they want us to bring in wholesalers to sell directly to the residents, we will help them.

“There are some who have held the programme in the form of a carnival, and there are those who have held the sale in a fixed location, so it is up to them (leaders) to hold the programme according to how they see fit,” he noted.

On the price of essential goods sold in the programme, Hamzah said the ministry had not set any fixed percentage, but they were sold below market price.

“For example, if the price of chicken in an area is RM7 per kg, it will be sold for at least RM6. There are items with smaller discounts and there some with bigger ones,” he added. - Bernama