Deputy Agriculture and Food Industry Minister II Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh has claimed that he was slandered through news reports stating that he trivialised the impact of price hikes for daily necessities.
The Pasir Puteh MP said he was very saddened by irresponsible reporters who did not care about the difference between sins and divine rewards in doing their job.
“The claim that I downplayed the impact of the increase in the price of goods is a huge slander and should not be issued by any party.
"The government is serious about the increase in prices of goods in our country and in the world in general.
"Among the quick actions taken by the government is to provide the B40 group with special assistance and thus reduce the cost of living burden for them," he said in a statement last night.
Earlier, a newspaper reported that Zawawi said the rising cost of living shouldn’t be a problem as the government had given assistance through subsidies and cash aid to the target group.
“The government has provided the people with direct financial assistance to help them cope with the rising cost of essential goods.
"Therefore, the increase in the price of goods should not be a big problem for them. Compared to other countries, there are people in worse situations than us," he was reported as saying.
The report angered social media users who criticised him for minimising the seriousness of the issue. - Mkini
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