THE National Recovery Council (NRC) will continue to serve as an advisory body to the government, especially on issues concerning the wellbeing and comfort of the people, its chairman Muhyiddin Yassin said.

He said the council would always give its views and thoughts, but it was up to the government to accept them.

The former prime minister said the NRC had recently held discussions with economists and other leaders on issues surrounding inflation and rising global food prices as well as food security.

“Following that, the NRC suggested to the government to have a short-term strategy to produce basic items such as food, livestock and others by using a structured method.

“Similarly, in the long run, everyone needs to be prepared. We have given the ideas,” he told reporters after attending a ceremony to fete those leaving to perform the haj and the handing over of sacrificial cattle for the Pagoh parliamentary constituency today.

He was asked to comment on the people’s grouses on the recent rise in prices of goods.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin welcomed the additional cash assistance under the Bantuan Keluarga Malaysia aid of RM100 for B40 households and RM50 for singles announced by the government on Wednesday.

Commenting on former Bersatu leader Zuraida Kamaruddin’s post as plantation industries and commodities minister, Muhyiddin said it was up to Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob to decide on the matter.

On May 26, Zuraida announced that she was leaving Bersatu to join Parti Bangsa Malaysia, and expressed her readiness to resign as a minister if instructed to do so by the prime minister. – Bernama, June 24, 2022.