TAWAU: Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the Government has approved an RM225 million allocation for the Price Standardisation Programme for Controlled Goods and Essential Goods (PoS to PoS) this year.
“The PoS to PoS is a programme aimed at helping people deal with the cost of living and was targeted at residents on islands and rural areas,” he said.
He noted that this is due to supply chain logistics challenges, which compel these groups to pay higher rates than those in cities and towns.
“Through this programme, the government will cover the cost of transportation by appointing transport companies to deliver goods to designated areas and locations,” he said, after surveying the Malaysia-Indonesia border waters and monitoring the delivery of controlled goods on Sebatik island.
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“Three zones covering 14 distribution areas and 32 Point of Sale for Tawau and Kalabakan will be involved in the programme,” Armizan said.
He said the Sebatik zone consists of eight distribution areas: Wallace Bay, Mentadak, Sungai Tongkang, Bergusong, Sungai Pukul, Sungai Pisak-Pisak, Sungai Lahi, and Sungai Laba, with a total of 21 Points of Sale.
“This year, improvements will be piloted for the other three components, including a reference to the Department of Statistics to obtain an estimate of household needs in an area to determine the amount of supply,” he said.
At the same time, he believes the distribution and sales reporting systems must be enhanced to ensure supplies reach and benefit the intended target group.
He suggested a more thorough mechanism for locations in danger of leakage, such as Sebatik Island, a border area.
During his visit, Armizan also noted that one of his goals was to observe the level of enforcement agency collaboration in the border area while dealing with situations concerning the leakage of controlled and subsidised commodities.
“The visit is also to get feedback from the local community about the availability of daily necessity supplies in addition to identifying mechanism for improving the implementation of the PoS to PoS in border areas,” he said.
“So far, the seven types of goods involved are diesel, RON95 petrol, liquefied petroleum gas, cooking oil, white rice, coarse refined white sugar, and wheat flour,” he said.
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