MP laments lack of clarity over consumer coordinators

 

Bukit Bendera MP Wong Hon Wai said today that he had not been informed nor briefed on the appointment of a Parliamentary Consumer Coordinator (PKP) for his constituency. 

This comes after Deputy Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Rosol Wahid urged 90 MPs to expedite the appointment of their PKP. 

“I would like to emphasise that my office has not received any invitation or information for a briefing regarding the appointment of a Parliamentary Consumer Coordinator (PKP). 

“I ask the ministry not to cast aside the MPs in the opposition bloc regarding this matter. The deputy minister’s statement seems to expose the weaknesses in the government’s administration of consumer affairs,” Wong said in a statement.

Yesterday, Rosol urged the 90 MPs to expedite the appointment so that the government’s policies and efforts in defending the rights of consumers could be disseminated to people more effectively.

He said the PKP served as a middle person between the government and the people in dealing with issues such as cost of living, stability in supply and price of essential goods, and consumer activities

Wong, however, called for a special Parliament sitting to discuss these issues in light of the recent food crisis and the rising cost of living.

This echoes Pakatan Harapan’s call for a sitting in the near future to discuss the rising cost of living and inflation.

The lack of food supply in the country, including chickens, has led to some traders selling their goods above the set ceiling price.

Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob had said the anticipated increase in cost of living is a global phenomenon due to, among others, the Russia-Ukraine war and the Covid-19 pandemic which have affected food production and supply.

Apart from the approved permit (AP) for food imports, the government is also studying the possibility of abolishing other types of AP to ease the pressure arising from shortages of other goods, he added.

Ismail Sabri announced that the cabinet decided to stop Malaysia's monthly export of 3.6 million chickens beginning June 1 to address the food supply shortage. - Mkini