Muhyiddin proposes Johor govt set up committee to study high cost of living




JOHOR BAHRU, June 5 (Bernama) -- Home Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today proposed that the Johor state government set up a special committee to study and come up with the best solutions to resolve the issue of high cost of living faced b0y the people.

The Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) president, said that the committee should comprise experts in various fields such as economy, commerce, agriculture and food supply.

"The cost of living is an issue that is not only at the state level but also at the national level. For the state of Johor, I propose a high level committee with experts in various fields working towards resolving the issue."

"The people's expectations in us (Pakatan Harapan) are high. Hence, this should be the main agenda of the government and be resolved as soon as possible," he said at breaking fast with the people at the Johor Menteri Besar's residence, here tonight.

He added that this was because the people whether in urban or rural areas are distressed by the cost of living that made their lives difficult, as a result of income that cannot cope with the high cost of living.

Muhyiddin, who is also Johor Pakatan Harapan chairman, said the committee would serve to monitor and solve the problems of the people and also things that can be resolved within a short period of time.

In this regard, he also touched on food production and mentioned the need for skilled manpower in the field to determine the yield of food production in Johor is sufficient not only for locals but also for export.

"In Johor, there is still plenty of government and privately owned lands with potential for development."

"We also have a lot of shallow waters, rivers, and mining areas that can be used as a breeding grounds for sea and river produce."

"I expect that such initiatives will be taken, thus the burden of cost of living can be reduced mainly involving the daily necessities such as vegetables, fish, poultry, beef, other meat supplies, and for non-Muslims, pigs," he explained.

According to Muhyiddin, efforts to boost food production in Johor is contained in the PH government's manifesto.

-- BERNAMA