MIRI: The government will review the subsidy for the transportation of goods in rural Sarawak to ensure that it does not burden consumers.
Deputy Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Chong Chieng Jen said the move would also ensure there were no wastage of subsidies meant for the rural folk.
He said there were wastages when it came to the channeling of subsidies under the previous government, and this has led to those subsidies not benefiting target groups.
“I will discuss the matter with the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister, and I hope the (subsidy) will be reviewed for the benefit of the people in the interior,” he told reporters after surveying the prices of goods in Miri yesterday.
Chong, who is Stampin member of Parliament said the government was currently a new and more efficient system that will allow for a better monitoring of subsidies meant for target groups.
He did not discount a possibility of doing away with the previous system, once an ongoing study involving certain agencies was completed.
He said there was a need to conduct as survey on the number of ministry personnel and officers at all levels, and to survey the issues faced by rural residents in their respective geographical context.
“In Sarawak’s interior, there are certain point of sales located 100km away and this drives up transport costs.
“Wastage occurs in the system of channeling of subsidy. There is also a problem of a lack of manpower to monitor these point of sales in rural areas,” he said.
Chong said the ministry has no plan to increase the number of enforcement personnel, but it will instead review ways to better monitor the prices of goods.
He said the effort to introduce the Sales and Services Tax (SST) would also reduce the people’s burden.