KOTA TINGGI: Bersatu president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has pledged to make tackling the rising cost of living the top priority of a Perikatan Nasional-led Johor government, saying it remains the biggest concern among Malaysians regardless of race or background.
He said various surveys conducted by different agencies showed that more than 70% of respondents viewed the rising cost of living as the country’s most pressing issue, driven by stagnant wages, economic uncertainty and soaring prices of essential goods.
“One of the first issues we will address is the rising cost of living. We will ensure there are sufficient supplies of essential goods such as vegetables, fish, meat and chicken,” he said during a Perikatan ceramah at Kampung Mawai Baru here on Thursday night.
The Pagoh MP added that if domestic supplies were insufficient, the government must move quickly to boost local food production instead of relying heavily on imports.
Muhyiddin said Malaysia had enormous potential to improve its food self-sufficiency if greater emphasis was placed on developing the agriculture sector.
“If we can increase domestic food production, we will not need to import vegetables, fruits, fish, meat or dairy products.”
He claimed the government had failed to adequately address food security, alleging that large tracts of agricultural land, padi fields, rivers, ponds and former mining areas remained underutilised.
According to Muhyiddin, these resources should be developed for food crop cultivation and aquaculture to boost domestic production and strengthen the nation’s food security.
The former prime minister also defended his administration’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, saying his government had managed both the health crisis and the economy effectively despite taking office without an election manifesto.
He said financial aid, vaccination programmes and economic stimulus measures had helped protect both lives and livelihoods during the pandemic.
Muhyiddin also took aim at caretaker Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, alleging that many promises made by the Barisan Nasional-led state government during the last state election had yet to be fulfilled.
