Zahid chairs first meeting of living cost committee

Three-hour meeting with NGOs sees discussions on educating consumers, with more detailed measures to tackle the rising cost of living to be announced soon.

PUTRAJAYA: Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today chaired the first meeting of the high-level committee to address the cost of living.

The three-hour meeting was to ensure that ongoing efforts to address these issues would be jointly held with non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

The committee, which also comprised six ministers and secretaries-general of the ministries involved, is a continuation of the Cost of Living Special Cabinet Committee, also chaired by Ahmad Zahid.

The ministers involved and present at the meeting were Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Hamzah Zainuddin; Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Wahid Omar; Higher Education Minister Idris Jusoh; Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid; International Trade and Industry Minister Mustapa Mohamed; and Second Finance Minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah.

Meanwhile, Hamzah told a media conference later that, among others, the meeting discussed issues on educating consumers, such as the importance of using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and how economic factors and oil prices had influenced the increase in the prices of goods.

“As such, there is a need to have a holistic communications method to avoid misunderstandings on or distortion of price hikes, and we discussed whether consumerism should be taught at schools, among others,” he said.

Hamzah said improving student cards was also discussed at the meeting so that it could be adopted in all parts of the country.

“We also discussed in general, measures to be taken. Detailed information will be presented and decided in the forthcoming Special Cabinet Committee meeting on the cost of living,” he said.

He said the high-level meeting would be held at least once a month.

– BERNAMA