DAP MP slams ‘missing’ ministers amid food crisis

 

Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng says there is a lack of urgency on the part of the government in handling the issue of the rising prices of food items.

PETALING JAYA: A DAP MP has taken several ministers to task for going abroad for “work” trips rather than staying put in Malaysia as the people wrestle with the surge in food prices.

Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said there was a lack of urgency on the government’s part in handling this issue, and warned that the nation could be facing the greater issue of food insecurity in the not-so-distant future.

“Where are the ministers who are supposed to create necessary policies to deal with the issue at hand? The rising cost of living has impacted Malaysians greatly and is further exacerbated by the recent hike in prices of basic food items.

“It seems that some ministers are busy prioritising their ‘work’ trips abroad rather than managing the current situation in their own homeland. They are advised to stay back and deal with the situation at hand,” he said in a statement.

Lim Lip Eng.

Lim said Putrajaya should be proactive in notifying Malaysians of the measures it would take to handle the issue.

He urged the government to do away with “template answers” and come up instead with concrete plans to address the matter.

“As the global food crisis looms, a Cabinet minister should be appointed as the sole spokesman informing the nation on the next step in dealing with the issue. The same minister should lead a high-level inter-ministry task force for food security in our country.

“Malaysia has managed to handle the pandemic with a special task force, it is only appropriate for similar measures to be taken to deal with the food problem,” he said.

Data from the department of statistics Malaysia showed that Malaysians now have to pay more to fill their bellies, with the prices of 89.1% of all food items increasing in April.

This led to a 4.1% rise in inflation for food and beverages in April, compared with the same month in 2021.

To prevent local shortages, Putrajaya will be banning the exports of whole chicken from June 1, while import permits for chicken and wheat will be abolished.

The government had also abolished approved permit (AP) requirements for the importation of various food items, except rice. - FMT