KOTA DAMANSARA: Malaysians have been urged to adopt a more prudent approach and avoid food wastage, particularly during festive celebrations.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Ramanan Ramakrishnan said the government has decided to scale back festive events amid global economic uncertainties and alarming levels of food waste.
"When we were discussing how to ensure savings could be implemented and that whatever we use benefits the people, we were informed that there were (on average) 12,000 metric tonnes of food wastage (per year).
"Imagine the amount of waste that is happening,"he said at a Ziarah Madani Ramadan event here.
Ramanan said the wastage was not caused by government spending alone, but also occurred during large-scale celebrations and open houses.
He said that the government was not cancelling celebrations such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Chinese New Year or Deepavali, but was temporarily scaling back certain events as a cost-saving measure.
Ramanan said that other countries in the region were implementing similar measures.
"If we look at Thailand, public servants are encouraged to walk up the stairs instead of using lifts, set air-conditioning at 26 degrees Celsius and work from home to save petrol and diesel," he said.
He added that savings achieved would ultimately benefit the rakyat.
"The money saved does not go into anyone's pocket. It goes back to the people, including maintaining subsidies for petrol and diesel," he said.
Earlier, Ramanan distributed aid to B40 residents and students in his Sungai Buloh constituency.
The programme was organised by the Human Resource Development Corporation (HRD Corp), represented by its chairman Datuk Abu Huraira Abu Yazid and chief executive officer Datuk Shamir Aziz. - NST
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