New Perikatan portfolio committee line-up to put spotlight on rising costs
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 8 — Perikatan Nasional (PN) secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin today announced the coalition’s new portfolio committee members that will focus on bread-and-butter issues affecting Malaysians.
At a news conference, Hamzah said some additions and changes were made to align with the Cabinet line-up.
New inclusions were Bachok MP Mohd Syahir Sulaiman taking on the economy portfolio, Alor Setar MP Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden handling youth and sports, and Kemaman MP Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar overseeing higher education.
Hamzah said the announcement was to allow the portfolio chairmen time to prepare topics to be raised at the parliamentary meeting starting at the end of this month.
“We want all the chairmen of this portfolio to focus on all the existing issues or policies that have already been submitted by the government today.
“We are all aware that the biggest issues currently in the country are issues such as the increase in the price of goods, the fall in the value of the ringgit, civil servant pensions, and political prosecutions.
“This is a matter that we have already taken into consideration and discussed a while ago because everyone is aware that on February 26, the Dewan Rakyat session will begin. We want to prepare in advance so that we can ask not only questions but also to determine all the problems of the people down there that we will fight for,” he said.
Hamzah accused the government of not giving adequate attention to the rising cost of living.
“Today the price of goods remains high. What has happened for more than a year has not been directly thought about by the government. There is no action to continue the people’s request to be able to lower the price of goods or lower the cost of living in our country.
“He promised to finish it in two weeks. What has happened? It’s been almost two years. What is the government’s problem today?
“The problem is because they don’t focus. All they focus on is other things. Political issues are purely political issues. The issue of the people’s problems is not even thought of as the chicken egg issue. It is no longer resolved. I just realised that the price of vegetables has also gone up,” he said.
Despite the committees now taking on the shape of a shadow cabinet, Hamzah did not name the coalition leader who would be its prime minister.
He only said that the announcement would be made when appropriate.
“I give you one example. Tan Sri Muhyiddin is my president. There is nothing wrong for him. He was a prime minister. And he came down just because a group of people from Umno or Barisan Nasional will draw their support to him. Is that fair to say that he stepped down? No.
“He got a chance. There is nothing wrong for us to promote him again as a prime minister. Why is it that we have to suddenly now say that we have someone else? Where is he the chairman of our Perikatan Nasional at the moment,” he said.
“I’m just chairing today just to discuss matters, especially looking after the interest of the people in the country,” he said.
