How do operators absorb the price increase?

Let the Consumer Affairs Minister YB Ismail Sabri announce how he is going to ensure that operators absorb the costs of the price increase of consumer goods such as sugar and petrol. As a resut of the recent rationalization of subsidies, the price of many types of consumer goods inreases. Naturally, the people are worried that there will be unreasonable hike in prices.


It seems that the minister has talked with various associations such as Malaysian Indian Reataurant Owners' Association to persuade them to absorb the price increase. He believes that these operators understand the situation. We hope he is right.

What we want to know is how YB Ismail Sabri ensures that over 500,000 operators will not pass the price increase to consumers. He must inform us of the ways such as the monitoring mechsnism with which he gets them to cooperate.

The nation should only spend according to its revenue except in unusual circumstances. To cut subsidies is one way. But, the Central Government would have to make it clear that other forms of assistance to big companies including Indpendent Power Producers (IPPs) is no longer applicable. The amount of softloans and bailouts amount to billions of ringgits.

Tan Seng Giaw