PRICES: GOVT ALWAYS LOOK FOR WAYS OF REDUCING BURDEN ON PEOPLE - DPM

KUANTAN (Pahang, Malaysia), May 14 (Bernama) -- The government understands the difficulties faced by the people following the increase in the prices of goods, and strives to find ways of easing the burden, said Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

He said Malaysia was the only country that controlled prices of goods by giving a subsidy to reduce the burden borne by the people.

"The increase in the prices of goods cannot be used as an excuse to accuse the government of being irresponsible or not doing anything to look after the interests of the people.

"No other government controls the prices of goods. In the other countries, they pay the real market price," he said in his speech at the 1Malaysia Breakfast gathering with the people in Kampung Sungai Ular in conjunction with his one-day working visit, here Saturday.

Also present at the gathering of about 1,500 residents were Pahang Chief Minister Adnan Yaakob and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

At the gathering, Muhyiddin mingled with the villagers and talked to them although it was raining heavily then.

In fact, Muhyiddin said, he would hold a meeting with the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism as well as the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry on Monday to discuss long-term measures to increase food supply in the country.

He said the price increase was due to global factors including weather changes which affected the food producing countries besides the drop in the world's oil production which was being felt by all countries.

"The prices of potatoes, onions and dried chilli which we import have increased, the price of sugar too had risen and we are not a sugar supplying country, but the government is giving a subsidy which enables us to pay a price which is not the real price," he said.

However, he said, since Prime Minister Najib Razak introduced the government and economic transformation programmes, the country's economic growth had improved and foreign investors were looking at Malaysia as a profitable investment destination.

"Despite the price increases, the people can enjoy the economic spill-over and job employment created following the inflow of foreign capital," he said.