THE government must maintain the current ceiling prices for chicken and eggs, as well as subsidies for bottled cooking oil, Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) cost of living committee said.

“We call for the ceiling prices to remain, and additional subsidies for chicken farmers and entrepreneurs, to ensure constant supply of these items,” the committee said in a statement today.

It also urged the PH presidential council to organise protests in all 222 parliamentary constituencies over the government’s failure to address the rising cost of living, and for the people to support it.

Days after Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said the ceiling price for chicken will be removed come July 1, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the government will not float the prices of chicken or increase the electricity and water tariffs in the peninsula.

Ceiling prices for bottled cooking oil however, will still be removed from July 1, as Nanta had announced.

This will apply to cooking oil sold in 2kg, 3kg and 5kg bottles, which currently have maximum retail prices capped at RM12.70, RM18.70 and RM29.70 respectively. Only the government subsidy for palm oil cooking oil sold in 1kg poly bag packets at RM2.50, would remain.

The committee also suggested other measures to make subsidy allocations sustainable.

This included using revenue from the proposed “prosperity” or windfall tax to be channelled back to the people.

At the same time, other wasteful spending on “mega projects that do not benefit the people,” should also be halted. 

These included the Mass Rapid Transit 3, East Coast Rail Link and the TRX Exchange, the PH committee said.

“A review of the allowances of chief executive officers, board members of government-linked companies and government-linked investment companies must also be done.

“On top of that, Ismail should downsize his number of ministers or cut their allowances, and to do away with the special envoys to the Middle East, China, East Asia and South Asia.”

Two other student groups also recently made calls for street protests if the government did not retain the subsidies and help the people cope with the rising cost of living. – June 27, 2022.