Umno Youth chief wants govt to have full control of essential items

 

Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh said that essential products like rice, flour, cooking oil, and sugar should be controlled and managed by the government.

PETALING JAYA: Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh has urged the government to take complete control of the supply of essential items.

He said essential products like rice, flour, cooking oil, and sugar should be controlled and managed by the government instead of the private sector.

“The government needs to determine (the control of essential items), not have it determined by them (the private sector),” Akmal said in a Facebook post.

He was responding to a statement by deputy domestic trade and cost of living minister Fuziah Salleh who had demanded an explanation from Gardenia after the company increased the price of some of its products.

On Tuesday, Gardenia confirmed a new price list for 30 of its products. However, the prices of its Original Classic white bread, wholemeal bread, and Toast’em bread series will remain unchanged.

Since the middle of this month, Akmal has been involved in several incidents over the market shortage of local rice.

In one of the incidents, captured on video which had gone viral, Akmal was seen inspecting rice stocks and documents at a rice miller’s warehouse.

He admonished the rice miller for allegedly refusing to sell local rice because of the small profit margin.

The incident was criticised by former MCA vice-president Ti Lian Ker, who labelled Akmal’s action as “bullying and intimidation”.

Akmal hit back by saying that he was fulfilling his responsibility to safeguard the interests of the people instead of protecting the interests of big “towkays”. - FMT