PETALING JAYA: Cuepacs and Angkatan Koperasi Kebangsaan Malaysia Berhad (Angkasa) have called for cooperatives within the public service to be activated as part of efforts to cope with the increasing cost of living.
Angkasa president Datuk Abdul Fattah Abdullah said the activation of these cooperatives was proposed to allow consumers to purchase necessities at competitive prices.
“The topic of the rising cost of living is discussed yearly at various levels yet the price of goods continues to go up.
“Our meeting today has decided to call for the activation of cooperatives within the public service to function as a platform for the public to purchase necessities at affordable prices,” he said during a joint press conference yesterday.
Abdul Fattah said the decision was also in tandem with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s call in December last year for cooperatives to come together cohesively and purchase goods in bulk.
He said the move would subsequently bring down the prices of goods purchased by cooperative retailers and allow them to sell at lower prices to consumers.
Cuepacs president Datuk Adnan Mat said these efforts would greatly benefit those in the public service.
“There are approximately 1.62 million civil servants, with about 800,000 under the B40 group.
“They comprise those under Grade 19 with a monthly salary of RM1,950 inclusive of allowances.
“This is also below the national poverty line income (PLI) of RM2,208,” he said.
Adnan said the increasing cost of living was also detrimental for civil servants and the public to purchase necessities.
“We have received feedback that public servants in the B40 group are unable to cope with the rising cost of living, especially with their current salary. As such, Cuepacs urges the government to review the Malaysian Remuneration System as it has not been changed for the past 20 years,” he added.
Adnan said the revision involved increasing the minimum wage of public servants to be above the national PLI.
“This will allow the 12th Malaysia Plan target to increase the average household income to RM10,000 per month by 2025 to be achieved,” he said.
Adnan also called for public service department heads to activate their respective cooperatives as a means towards easing the plight of consumers in accessing affordable goods.
“The collaboration with Angkasa allows cooperatives to purchase goods in bulk and at a cheaper price. This in turn allows the goods to be sold at lower prices and helps to alleviate the financial difficulties faced by consumers,” he said.
Also present at the press conference were Cuepacs secretary-general Abdul Rahman Mohd Nordin, Cuepacs financial secretary Roslan Nordin, Angkasa deputy president Assoc Prof Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Abdul Razak Shaik and Angkasa group chief operations officer Datuk Abdullah Jusoh.
As of December last year, a total of 2,010 cooperatives have registered under the BA100 (100 Basic Goods Programme), with Angkasa targeting at least 3,000 cooperatives to join them in the near future.
