KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has instructed all ministries to realign their initiatives to ensure they benefit target groups, especially the vulnerable.
In a Facebook post today, Anwar, who is also finance minister, said the directive was issued as the global supply crisis is increasingly pressuring goods prices.
He said he announced the order at the National Economic Action Council (MTEN) meeting that he chaired today, at which the panel also examined proposals and initiatives aimed at strengthening the country’s defences and economic resilience throughout the crisis.
“MTEN will continue to focus on efforts to ensure supply continuity and protect the people, particularly vulnerable groups and petty traders, so they are not burdened by global economic shocks,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anwar stressed that more local authorities should implement initiatives to lower rent for business premises to ease the burden on hawkers affected by rising operating costs.
“The Madani Government has begun lowering rental rates for hawker and trader premises, through the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA).
“This compassionate approach should be emulated by other local authorities, nationwide, for people’s well-being and small business sustainability, amid increasingly challenging global economic conditions,” he said.
Anwar added that the meeting examined various measures to address global uncertainties and the impact of rising living costs, including the establishment of a Global Supply Crisis Monitoring Dashboard, and proposed policy improvements related to supply and pricing.
Earlier, Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, during a daily briefing on the global supply crisis, announced that the Global Supply Crisis Monitoring Dashboard, jointly developed by the Economy Ministry and the Statistics Department, will be publicly available from Friday.
