PUTRAJAYA, Aug 23 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has called for better coordination among various enforcement agencies to effectively address the issue of revenue leakage and smuggling activities in the country.
Combating smuggling, which was a significant cause of revenue leakage, is not an easy task as it involved influential and armed criminal groups.
"That is why we ask the enforcement bodies of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN), the Royal Malaysia Police, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, and the Immigration Department of Malaysia to ensure effective coordination," he said in his special address to KPDN enforcement officers.
The event was also attended by Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, his deputy Fuziah Salleh, and Chief Secretary to the Government Datuk Seri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
Anwar said that KPDN enforcement director Datuk Azman Adam must establish good networking with other agencies to ensure that operations were carried out effectively.
If the KPDN enforcement body faces any issues, they should be communicated to Armizan and KPDN Secretary-General Datuk Seri Mohd Sayuthi Bakar, so the problems could be addressed and resolved at the Cabinet level.
He added that the government's actions in implementing diesel subsidy rationalisation and floating chicken prices reflected its confidence in the enforcement bodies.
"The unreasonable chicken prices controlled by cartels, as well as the leakage in electricity revenues are not only unacceptable, but also suggest that the government system is unable to act. This is a significant weakness.
"Because we have confidence in the enforcement bodies and what you all are doing, we made the decision to implement the floating mechanism and save around RM1.2 billion annually for the government," Anwar said.
The government's decisions had yielded results, much like the control of goods prices, to avoid burdening the people.
"Therefore, the measures taken by the Ministry of Finance in the Madani Budget this October will include addressing the cost of living issues, even though inflation is at two to three per cent.
"We accept that as a reality because of our compassion. In the context of the Madani development and framework, sustainability and actions must be carried out with compassion," he said.
— Bernama
