(Kuching，DEC 14) Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living, Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali pointed out that the government will set up special sales areas in border regions and neighboring islands to specifically sell non-subsidized controlled goods, allowing residents from neighboring countries and border residents to purchase these items.
He stated, the government will collaborate with state governments to identify suitable border areas for these sales zones and utilize existing stores as sales points.
Datuk Armizan announced at a press conference following the coordination meeting on controlled goods leakage enforcement in Sabah, Sarawak, and the Federal Territory of Labuan, that in order to strengthen the control of goods supply, the government will implement a purchase tracking system based on household data, allowing each household to purchase only a limited quantity of goods to avoid individual consumers from repeatedly purchasing in large quantities.
He expressed, the government will enhance cooperation with relevant enforcement agencies, especially in the enforcement mechanisms at border checkpoints. Some enforcement powers will be decentralized to other agencies operating at borders and maritime areas, thus improving the efficiency of goods control and preventing leaks.
He said, through the new mechanism, enforcement agencies can act directly without waiting for cases to be transferred, thereby enhancing the speed and efficiency of addressing goods leakage issues.
Meanwhile, Datuk Armizan pointed out that all agencies involved in diesel subsidy management are required to submit improvement proposals aimed at optimizing subsidy distribution methods, improving efficiency, reducing resource waste, and ensuring the transparency and effectiveness of subsidies.
He revealed, the current diesel subsidy plan is primarily targeted at logistics and transportation companies, while the agricultural sector is not included, with the agricultural sector obtaining diesel through third-party channels.
He said there is a risk of misuse of diesel subsidies within the agricultural sector, especially among farm operators near the border regions.
Datuk Armizan emphasized that the government is requesting relevant departments to propose improvement suggestions, with the hope of enhancing the efficiency and systematic nature of subsidy distribution through improved measures, while strengthening enforcement intensity and transparency.
He disclosed that from April to October this year, Sabah provided a total of 575.3 million liters of diesel, Sarawak provided 739.7 million liters, and the Federal Territory of Labuan provided 109 million liters.
“Last year, the federal government spent a total of 3.6 billion ringgit on diesel subsidies in Sabah, Sarawak, and Labuan, with 300 million ringgit allocated for fishermen's diesel subsidies.”
He said palm oil plantation operators might misuse diesel subsidies; therefore, relevant cases will be advised by the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities, deliberated by regulatory bodies, and submitted to the Appeals Committee for review.