INTERVIEW | After almost a year of helming the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has given his performance so far 6.5 out of 10 marks.
"The ministry's agenda is insufficient. A lot of improvement is needed," he said.
Saifuddin was speaking at a special press conference at his ministry in Putrajaya today, which was held in conjunction with the approaching one-year anniversary of the Pakatan Harapan government.
Nevertheless, the minister added, he expects to achieve full marks in less than two years.
He listed the three biggest "achievements" of his ministry in Harapan's first year in office.
They are the soon-to-be-implemented targeted subsidy for RON95 petrol; the introduction of the Food Bank programme; and an analysis of the food supply chain.
Food Bank Malaysia is a programme that involves collecting excess food items like bread and vegetables from supermarkets to be distributed to poor households.
According to reports, about 186,354 households are expected to benefit from the programme.
"This is an achievement close to me, and the ministry," said Saifuddin.
Saifuddin also cited the food supply chain analysis as an important achievement which helped the ministry understand the stages involved in a product's journey from the manufacturer to the consumer.
"With the analysis, we can identify the elements that contribute to the increase in the price of a product," he said, adding that the report on the analysis had been presented to the cabinet yesterday.
When asked whether the ministry had any plans which it had yet to implement, Saifuddin pinpointed the expansion of e-commerce to help bring down the cost of living.
"The introduction of e-commerce can reduce 'layers' in a business. When the (supply) chain shrinks, the price of the end product will be lower," he said. - Mkini
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