PORT KLANG, May 18 — The state government is confident that the food supply for the upcoming Malaysia Games (SUKMA) 2026 in August wil be sufficient, despite the anticipated price hikes due to increased diesel cost.
Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari said the primary concern at the moment is not the availability of food supplies, but rather the pressure of rising prices of goods.
“I think it is still sufficient; we are looking into it, the team is looking into it, InsyaAllah (God willing), we will ensure the supply (of food) will be sufficient.
“The issue is not about supplies, the issue is price because food prices will increase with the rise in diesel costs and so on,” he said during the groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of the Shell Malaysia Terminal in Westports today.
Amirudin added that the government is also looking into suitable measures to ease the pressure of price hikes, including implementing diesel subsidies for several categories of vehicles.
“We are also looking into it thoroughly, InsyaAllah, with several government policies regarding diesel subsidies for some of these vehicles, I think it will more or less help reduce the pressure,” he said.
In the meantime, the government is still capable of absorbing the impact of rising prices, even though the crisis in West Asia has been ongoing for several months.
“The proof is, after a few months, we are still able to absorb or cushion the effect of the price increase; however, it is a matter of how long the government should spend RM5 to RM6 billion a month.
“Perhaps the impact of that spending can be used to focus on the actual vulnerable groups and so on. I think that is in the fiscal planning that the government should be careful about,” Amirudin said.
On April 26, the Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari announced that His Majesty the Sultan of Selangor had given his consent for SUKMA 2026 to proceed, but with prudence and thrift.
Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj granted consent after listening to a briefing by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on April 23.
Prior to this, His Royal Highness proposed postponing the biennial Games until the crisis in West Asia is resolved and the Shah Alam Stadium is fully built, citing the high cost of organising amid the current economic situation.
The 22nd edition of SUKMA is scheduled to take place from August 15 to August 24, while Para SUKMA is from September 5 to September 10.
