Thursday, August 02, 2018

Same old control of supply and prices of foodstuff

Sun Daily - Ministry to ensure enough fish supply in monsoon season:


KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry (MOA) will be monitoring to ensure sufficient fish supply in the country during the coming monsoon season.

Its minister, Datuk Salahuddin Ayub said today the MOA together with the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry (KPDNHEP) would ensure adequate food supply and that prices would be kept under control.

"We always cooperate and have a joint committee to monitor and ensure enough supply ... that is our task, but the price of goods will be controlled by KPDNHEP.

"We will try our best in addressing the problem of price hikes faced by the people. We will strive to ensure sufficient supply of goods at affordable prices."

Salahuddin said this when met at a session with the media at Menara Lembaga Pertubuhan Peladang, here. — Bernama
.

Some 1.5 months ago, our minister Salahuddin Ayub, while at the PM's Hari Raya 'Open House'  commented bullshit-ishly (like my visitor CK):


... there were already noticeable price reductions in fresh produce, such as vegetables. “Vegetable prices have dropped by 50% while prices of poultry and meat, such as beef, have also been reduced.”

“I was told that you can buy poultry at RM5 or RM6 per kilogramme. Beef can be purchased at RM30 to R.33, but tenderloin (batang pinang) is more expensive.”


I had to say that the Amanah minister
 then made an amazing and very astonishing revelation on Hari Raya Day, praise be to Allah swt, that non-GST items like vegetables, poultry, meat, enjoyed terrific price-drops with the GST on them being then zero-rated.

But he seems a good bloke (as most Amanah pollies are - where my favourite is Hanipa Maidin) so I believed he a good Muslim was not deliberately lying, but like his party leader Mat Sabu, recently committing a faux pas on revealing the serviceability rate of the RMAF fighter aircraft, was probably briefed by dungu's. or sabotaged by civil servants who still owed their political allegiance to the previous regime's, wakakaka.

One month later in parliament, after Wee Ka Siong challenged Salahuddin's mistake in claiming zero-rating the GST brought about a 50% price drop, embarrassingly on non-GST items, opposition leader Ahmad Zahid Hamidi glibly said:

"We forgive those who are still excited in their new seat for making mistakes".

I wonder whether Salahuddin will make that same mistake again with his promise to ensure sufficient fish supply in the country during the coming monsoon season.




But one point that I have been criticising has been the necessity of the ministry's controlling food prices. We are not a communist-fascist nation like North Korea or the old Soviet Union (USSR) where food are/were usually in such scarcity that there would be state control of the required items.

Just as an aside - let me tell you an episode of such scarcity of items in those communist-fascist states:

Eons ago bloke in the USSR paid the money in advance for a lousy state produced car. (sounds familiar? wakakaka)

And 'advance' meant 10 years in advance. Before he left with his receipt he asked the official who took the advance payment: "Will the car be delivered in the morning or afternoon?"

The official answered: "What does it matter whether it'll be in the morning or afternoon when it will be in 10 years time".

The bloke said: "Well, the electrician who'll be coming to fix my lighting promises to come in the morning".

Anyway, I dislike seeing price controlled inspectors patrolling the commercial-market areas to ensure, for example, teh-susu-ais is RM2 or RM2.7 or whatever and capati (which Pakatan loves, wakakaka) is only RM2.80 or whatever.



And of course that kembong, kerang, kangkung would be GST-free, wakakaka, especially for anaemic suffering Mrs Zahara, wakakaka again.




Just leave it to market forces (like in sales of durians) and the public should do without any items that are prohibitively expensive. It's like so in Australia whether pre Christmas or pre Easter season, etc. The prices shoot up but return to normal after the peak period.


My Uncs told me that during Mahathir's reign as PM, one of the Chosen Ones thought he would corner the imported mandarin orange market during the pre Chinese New Year period. He had lusted after the hundreds of millions traded in each of the previous years, and his greed was such he used his connections to enable him to exercise complete monopoly over the importation.

The traders were furious and so were the Chinese consumers. Both sectors boycotted mandarin oranges in an anger-prompted willingness to forego cultural imperatives to have mandarin oranges during the Chinese New Year period.


That greedy bloke suffered severe losses as tons and tons of imported mandarin oranges rotted away. The boycott continued even as he tried to do a fire-sale.

In 1977 the Americans once did that with Brazilian coffee as well, and most successfully as they boycotted the prohibitively priced imported coffee.

I had hope for better from a Pakatan government but the Big Brother mentality continues, even into our food items.


Related:

(1) Minister: Removal of GST made vegetables 50%.

(2) Pakatan's further bull on GST.



12 comments:

  1. Cheebye motherfucker kaytee has a new idea to control......Simple.....Just present publicly with your IC, credentials, documents, your fucking occupation, your fucking address......Fuck you studied in fucking Penang Free school

    If Anil Netto, a catholic can do it.....why can't you?

    Cheebye motherfucker kaytee.....you backslided christian jilted by christian girlfriend who found out that your dick is 3" long

    Kaytee.......I love how LGE tekan Wee Wee ka Siong......Just like how I saw personally how Ong Ka Chuan avoided my parents

    Kaytee......wanna bet.....come to malaysia la.......don't be fucking cheebye chicken la

    I saw with my own eyes how Ong Ko Chaun avoided my mum......hahahaha

    Kaytee......you MCA? Gerekan? You don't wanna reveal your identity because you would be screwed by me and many many many others......Who knows, we knew your fucking military uncles......hehehehe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. firstly I did not fCk your mother so you may cease calling me motherfucker

      secondly, Ong KC avoided your mum because he was scared you'd call him motherfucker and Papa, wakakaka

      I belong to the Ayah-Pin teapot Party

      Delete
  2. Well what does it matter if prices and thought are controlled ala USSR? Not when we have a DPRK-like idol worshiping of Mahathir by zombiac PH supporters.

    Back then, the people were clamouring for free market and market determined prices, but when Najib gave it to them they were disappointed that prices and market forces weren't like what they expected, and they then clamour to return back into their protected market shell.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Seriously, u need to lighten up

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fact is Ktemoc had high hopes for returns from a Bijan Administration, and it all turned to dust on May 9.

    That's why he's hard at work fulfilling his quota to Hentam Mahathir , Lim Guan Eng and Pakatan Harapan in general , several times a day, on all and sundry issues.

    He's even using underwear language in his desperation to show results.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Best political statement

    Mat Sabun's devastating retort to corrupt former Defence Minister Bijan

    "what’s important is I will never steal peoples’ money,"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Our Mat Sabu has oratory skill, without a doubt. His lines are all so authentic, and the timing is impeccable...and like always, he socks it just right, to the great delight of his listeners, hehe. Way to go...dear YB Mat Sabu.

      Delete
  6. Wakakakaka……

    Free market?

    Price control!

    Capitalism?

    Laissez-faire!

    Bull lah.

    The yrs u spent in Oz have not enlighten u about the Oz govt price control mechanism on dairy products!

    Ditto with iron ore international pricing by restricting export quota!

    Ditto with OPEC's cruel oil production quota!

    The ongoing trade war between US & China has not enlighten u about how one country manipulates the import prices to 'beat' her foreign competitors, to the detriments of her citizen!

    Perhaps, u like to ONLY deal with things around yr cozy tempurung. Then what about seasonal supply & demand of casual daily foodstuffs that r been 'scheduled' by the various govt appointed control authorities all-over the world?

    Big Brother mentality exists & continues in various forms ALL-over the world, even into our simple daily food items.

    Daily food items control mechanism is a critical govt duty to the citizen.

    Developed countries do it subtly to avoid counterclaims of deviating from true market economy & unfair trading practices by foreign competitors via WTO petitions.

    For a developing country, like m'sia, r u proposing “Let them eat cake.” for the B40, as w/o price control mechanism many daily necessities, especially foodstuffs, WOULD be priced out of their reach!

    U live ONLY yr own belief of limited scope of understandings - then hentam kau2 as if u r presenting a truth!

    Pariah!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah.....to the extent of having control of any products especially agri coming into australia.....

      Same old same old

      Delete
  7. There was a lot of price gouging when GST was introduced...and has not receded when GST was removed.

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  8. The biggest culprits who failed the Malaysian consumers in price controls of basic foodstuff must go the enforcement authorities in the KPDNHEP who don't do their work and to FAMA and LKIM who has all the facilities and manpower to store essential food items which are subjected to the vagaries of environmental and seasonal demands.

    And you just have to read the papers for the past years to know they have lost their focus and instead have gone into politiking more than their stated aims.

    The Minister of Agriculture and Minister of KPDNNEP has to revamp these 2 main bodies and their work ethics and bring them back to doing their jobs as stated in their main mission and responsibilities.

    These actions alone will help to greatly reduce the vagaries in the prices of basic food besides others initiatives like easing and lessening all those restrictions like licenses, land, subsidies, modernisation, labour, impors etc to all Malaysians who wish to venture into farming, fishing or rearing livestock or importing.

    It's a long term thing to get it along the path of providing food security at affordable prices in the long run.

    There just do not seem to have enough people to see this thru but instead going for short term politiking whenever there is a hue and cry by promoting RM10 per chickens, RM5/kg Ikan Kembong, RM 20/kg rice, RM2/kg Kangkung, lelong fruit and fun fair, overseas food fairs etc etc

    There never will be a single bullet answer to all these food problems.

    ReplyDelete