The Government has greenlit an RM225 million budget for the Price Standardisation Programme for Controlled Goods and Essential Goods (PoS to PoS) for the current year, announced Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister, Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.
Targeted at aiding residents in islands and rural areas, the PoS to PoS initiative aims to mitigate the impact of higher living costs faced by these communities. Armizan esaid that logistical challenges in the supply chain often force individuals in these regions to incur elevated expenses compared to urban counterparts.
Under this programme, the government will absorb transportation costs by engaging transport companies to facilitate the delivery of goods to designated areas and locations, Armizan elaborated during his inspection of controlled goods delivery on Sebatik island, situated at the Malaysia-Indonesia border waters.
Accompanying Armizan on his visit were Kalabakan Member of Parliament, Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy, and Sebatik Assemblyman, Datuk A Hassan Gani Pg Amir.
Armizan outlined the programme’s scope, highlighting its coverage of three zones, encompassing 14 distribution areas and 32 Points of Sale across Tawau and Kalabakan. In the Sebatik zone alone, eight distribution areas and 21 Points of Sale will be included in the programme.
The Minister further detailed planned enhancements to the programme, including leveraging Department of Statistics data to estimate household needs in target areas and bolstering distribution and sales reporting systems to ensure efficient supply delivery to intended beneficiaries.
Recognising the vulnerability of border areas like Sebatik Island to commodity leakage, Armizan stressed the importance of implementing robust mechanisms to mitigate such risks.
During his visit, Armizan also underscored the significance of collaboration among enforcement agencies in border areas and solicited feedback from local communities to refine the programme’s implementation.
The PoS to PoS initiative currently covers seven essential goods: diesel, RON95 petrol, liquefied petroleum gas, cooking oil, white rice, coarse refined white sugar, and wheat flour, the Minister concluded.
