PUTRAJAYA, Aug 23 — The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry has requested Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim consider increasing the number of investigating officers at the Malaysian Competition Commission (MyCC) to help combat cartels in the country.
Its minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali told Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister, that the enforcement aspect of the ministry encompasses the role of MyCC, and emphasised the necessity to strengthen its capacity.
"Since MyCC was established on April 1, 2011, we have only had 17 investigators. We seek your consideration on ways to strengthen the MyCC team," he said in his speech at the Prime Minister's address to KPDN Enforcement Personnel and the launch of the Ihsan Madani Portal today.
Also present were KPDN Deputy Minister Datuk Fuziah Salleh and Chief Secretary to the Government Datuk Seri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
Armizan also requested the Enforcement Division be upgraded to a department under the ministry, noting that various enforcement components within the government are classified as departments and agencies.
He highlighted the role of KPDN enforcement personnel on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically in ensuring sufficient supplies of food and essentials.
However, they were overlooked in the list of recipients for the Covid-19 Frontline Special Allowance.
The Frontline Special Allowance was granted to those directly involved in managing and containing the Covid-19 outbreak, including healthcare workers, police, military personnel, and firefighters.
Meanwhile, Anwar launched the Ihsan Madani Portal, a government initiative designed to provide a dedicated platform to quickly access and identify various government programmes and initiatives.
The portal is accessible to all Malaysians at https://ihsanmadani.gov.my/. The information entered on the portal is general in nature and does not involve personal details such as identification numbers, home addresses, and so on.
Among the initiatives featured on the portal are those related to health, education, housing, and transportation. The public simply needs to fill out basic information to access the relevant ministry or agency's website links.
— Bernama
