Najib: Don’t ridicule ‘kangkung’ example

He also said that the government will take stern action against traders who raise prices arbitrarily.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak last night urged Malaysians not to make fun of the ‘kangkung’ (water spinach) issue.

He said he cited the vegetable as an example because it was a commonly food item used by the public.

“I like to eat kangkung, you all like to eat kangkung. As such, I gave an example which everybody eats.

“If I use quail as an example, only certain people eat it.

“The example should not be ridiculed by anybody because I gave the example on the principle of supply and demand which decide the prices of some of the food commodities which are not subject to price controls,” he told at a ‘Dinner with the Prime Minister’ event organised by the Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress here last night.

He was commenting on reactions from certain quarters on the issue following his clarification on prices of goods.

In his speech Najib also said he had ordered the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry (KPDNKK)  to be more firm against traders who arbitrarily raise prices of goods.

Najib said this was to ensure traders were more ethical in carrying out their commercial activities and at the same time help the people.

“I have ordered the ministry to use existing laws against any trader who announce prices or charges which are too high merely to get more profit (profiteering).

“This is one way how we can help reduce the prices for consumers, particularly prices hiked up by unethical traders out to take advantage of the current situation,” he said

He also urged consumers to be more proactive by reporting to the authorities if they detected traders who deliberately raised prices of goods.

Najib said he and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin would personally go down to the ground to check on prices of goods more closely.

According to Najib, he would also take the opportunity to promote shops offering reasonable prices to the people.

“And we will advertise or inform all parties that these are the shops that should be frequented by the public,” he said.

‘Kimma has done a good job’

On a  separate note, Najib praised the Restaurant Entreprenuers Association (Presma) for ensuring the prices of food and drinks were not raised to burden consumers.

“Its president (Noorul Hassan Saul Hameed) said shops under Presma or its members are truly responsible. Despite the increases in the prices of sweetened milk and sugar, he gave his assurance to me that the price of ‘teh tarik’ will not be raised.

“This is an example very responsible trading whereby they do not take advantage or exploit the situation as compared to those quarters who give a myriad of excuses to raise prices,” he said.

In his speech, Najib announced an allocation of RM1 million to enable Koperasi Kimma Bhd (KopKimma) to open an Al-Rahnu branch in the compound of Masjid India here.

Najib said he had high regards for the effort of KopKimma to open the branch to ensure the Indian Muslim community had an opportunity to seek micro-credit schemes to boost their standard of living.

“I view highly the effort of KopKimma under its chairman (Prof Datuk Dr) Mohd Harun Nizam for planning to open the first Al-Rahnu branch in the compound of the mosque soon.

“This will enable Indian Muslims in the country to get micro credit loans at a fairer and more reasonable rate compared to outlets which impose very high rates,” he said.

Commenting on the achievements of the Indian Muslim community in the country, Najib said under the leadership of Kimma, the community had achieved successes in numerous business fields such as retailing, catering, goldsmith shops and others.

He hoped the community would continue to diversify their entreprenuership into sectors that were more challenging such as biotechnology, green technology and information and communication technology.

Bernama