Comply with Price Control Scheme, traders reminded

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Jainab (second right) with Papar leaders, Rosnah (third right), Rahim (left) and Ghulam Haidar (third left) during the Hari Raya Puasa 2016 Festive Season Price Control Scheme launch and walkabout at Giant Supermarket in Papar yesterday.

Jainab (second right) with Papar leaders, Rosnah (third right), Rahim (left) and Ghulam Haidar (third left) during the Hari Raya Puasa 2016 Festive Season Price Control Scheme launch and walkabout at Giant Supermarket in Papar yesterday.

PAPAR: Ceiling prices set in the Festive Season Price Control Scheme (SKHMP) are not to be used as an opportunity to profit from selected food items.

Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Jainab Ahmad Ayid emphasised that the government was concerned and serious in dealing with the rising cost of living as well as prices of goods and had taken the initiatives to stabilize prices of essential goods, especially during the festive seasons.

“Just because the controlled price is at RM23, for example, traders raise the prices,” stressed Jainab during the Hari Raya Puasa 2016 Festive Season Price Control Scheme launch and walkabout at Giant Supermarket here yesterday.

She added that the ceiling prices should always be displayed and existing lower prices should be maintained.

The minister also reminded traders not to mislead consumers, which contradicts the government and traders joint cooperation to lower the prices where possible.

Twenty-one food items have been identified under the 2016 Festive Season Price Control Scheme from June 16 to July 6 this year, 21 days instead of 17 days practised in the previous year, under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.

Among the food items identified are live, standard and super chickens at the wholesale price of RM5.90, RM8.60, RM8.80 and retail price of RM6.60, RM9.60 and RM9.80 per kg respectively for Kota Kinabalu, Penampang and Putatan.

The price-controlled items should not exceed the maximum price determined by the government and a special pink price tag must be provided for these items.

Failure to comply will result in the trader being dealt with severely and if found guilty, an individual can be fined up to RM100,000, or imprisoned up to three years, or both, or compounded up to RM50,000.

A company can be fined up to RM50,000, or compuonded up to RM250,000.

For failure to display the pink price tags on controlled items, a trader can be fined up to RM10,000, or compounded up to RM5,000, while a company could face a fine of up to RM20,000, or compounded up to RM10,000.

Deputy Works Minister and Papar member of parliament Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, Assistant Minister of Infrastructure Development and Kawang assemblyman Datuk Ghulam Haidar Khan Bahadar and Pantai Manis assemblyman Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail were among those prsent at the launch.