Focus on solving current shortage of chickens and eggs, Tiong tells two federal ministries

 SIBU, February 9, 2022 - Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing today called on the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industries to focus on solving the current market shortage of chickens and eggs in Sarawak.

Picture: Bintulu MP Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing

He said these are essential and daily necessities for people and their livelihoods as they form the bulk of the raw materials needed by the food manufacturing industry.

“In short, the issue of chicken shortage should not have been allowed to happen in the first place.

“The government’s restrictive regulations on the rearing, processing, and supply of chicken and eggs coupled with disallowing retailers to raise prices without authorisation to ease the burden on consumers, have nonetheless impacted suppliers and their ability to compete and bring sufficient supply to market.

“This has inadvertently caused a shortage for consumers who are now affected by insufficient supply in the market and destabilising the food supply chain,” Tiong, who is also Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president and Dudong State Assemblyman, said when commenting the shortage of chickens and eggs in the market.

“We need to have an in-depth understanding and sound strategy to avoid this shortage, including delivering the promised incentives to the traders, instead of leaving them to fend for themselves.

“Under the pressure of Covid-19, with a weak economy and various instabilities, people are suffering.

“We need to do what we can to make adjustments and subsidies to help these livestock farmers, rather than forcing them to take their losses.

“These government agencies must go down to the ground to have dialogues with their stakeholders among the farmers and livestock rearers and understand their difficulties and find a balance.

“No party needs to suffer losses unnecessarily and lead to panic buying and hoarding by consumers. Otherwise, we would see that the costs of raising and supplying livestock will be higher than the ceiling prices set by the Government. To this end, no one would win.

“We must understand that the shortage of chickens and eggs is not deliberately caused by farms and related businesses.

“In the face of soaring transportation costs of imported feed and other livestock costs, they must also endure government regulations that prohibit price increases.

“Many breeders have complained to me that they could no longer take the losses and would rather not sell or rear more livestock in order to stave off further losses.

“Setting a ceiling price and allowing all merchants who have obtained a temporary approved permit (AP) to import whole chickens not only fails to address the root causes of the problem but is also unfriendly to the industry as a whole.

“There is also no control over how long the imported frozen chickens have been kept,” Tiong said, adding that these kinds of half measures cannot achieve the goal of reducing the people’s burdens.

He stressed one can guarantee where the price of imported frozen chicken will increase in the future. “If there is no supply of chicken, the supply of eggs will be affected. How will we deal with this? “ he asked.

“Without chickens, from where will we import eggs? We need to strive to achieve food self-sufficiency, instead of relying on food imports.

“Such imports are temporary solutions at best, and no one is willing to do business at a loss so it is imperative for us to formulate an effective long-term win-win solution,” he said.

He urged the government to take this matter seriously and implement lasting solutions, adding that he will also be reporting to Prime Minister Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob  to discuss this issue so that the relevant departments handle the people’s livelihoods with more care and sincere actions.

Labour Law Reform Coalition slams employers federation for using Covid-19 to suppress minimum wage increase

 KUCHING, February 9, 2022- The Labour Law Reform Coalition (LLRC) today urged the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) to stop weaponizing Covid-19 to suppress the minimum wage rise. 

“We must remind MEF that during the pandemic workers were suffering as much as employers. Many were laid off, forced to take unpaid leave or have substantial wage cuts. MEF should not exaggerate employers’ suffering but neglect the sacrifice of workers,” LLRC co-chairpersons N. Gopal Kishnam and Irene Xavier (picture) said in a statement. 

“Since the negative impact of the pandemic was shouldered equally by employers and workers, why can’t employers share economic profit in the form of wage rise with workers when the economy is recovering?” they asked. 

They said economic analysts have forecasted that Malaysia’s GDP growth will increase from 3.5 percent in 2021 to 6.2 percent. 

“(Therefore) it is unfair to say that the wage rise will kill businesses,” they added. 

“When the economy is returning to normal, it is time for employers to compensate workers with a higher wage floor. We must remember that our minimum wages are still below the poverty line. 

“The market must recognize that there is a human element in determining labour cost, please treat workers as human beings who need decent living, rather than as a commodity that generates profits for capital owners. 

“We urge the government to immediately announce the new minimum wage,” adding that the delay in implementing the new minimum wage has again violated the purpose of the National Wage Consultative Council Act that requires the minimum wage to be revised every two years. 

In a recent statement, MEF claimed that the increasing the minimum wage to RM1,500 per month before the year end would kill businesses that were still reeling from the economic shock of the Covid-19 pandemic and the devastating effects of the recent major floods. 

 MEF president Datuk Dr Syed Hussain Syed Husman said, instead of raising the minimum wage, efforts should be directed towards business recovery of the private sector and controlling the rising cost of products and services, the MEF said. 

“We must remember that most Malaysian businesses are micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), 98.9% are in this group. 

“So, when we talk about wages and cost, we must think of their survival and sustainability. MSMEs are suffering and even [with] a small increase in their cost, they will suffer and close down, what more an increase of RM300/400 per month on top of existing national minimum wages,” he had said. 

He also expects the move to result in higher unemployment and business debts, as companies would be unable to service their loans. 

The MEF's statement came a day after Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Saravanan Murugan said a new minimum wage of “around RM1,500 a month” was expected to be implemented before the end of this year. 

He said the new rate had yet to be finalised, as the ministry was awaiting Cabinet approval. In February 2020, Malaysia’s minimum wage was raised to the current RM1,200 per month from RM1,100 per month previously.