KOTA KINABALU: Urban Wellbeing, Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan yesterday said standardizing the price of essential goods between Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia would need sacrifice from the people in the peninsula by paying more to cover transportation costs.
Abdul Rahman, who is also an Umno Supreme Council member, said the price of essential goods was an issue in Sabah, and it needed to be addressed with mutual understanding.
“Why don’t factories in the peninsula set the price of goods the same in Shah Alam and Sabah? Meaning, people in the peninsula have to pay more so that price in Sabah can be reduced.
“This is a doable system, and that is the meaning of federation,” he said at the launching of Tuaran Umno Youth conference at Dewan Sri Sulaman, Tuaran.
Abdul Rahman, in giving an an example, said if a factory in Shah Alam sold its goods in Terengganu, the price would still be the same because transportation costs had been covered by the pricing system.
He said the same pricing system could be done if people in the peninsula were willing to pay a higher amount to cover transportation to Sabah or Sarawak.
“I want Tuaran Umno Youth to look at this issue and debate on it.
“We need to be the people’s champion in bringing this kind of issue so that Umno will remain relevant,” he added.
In another issue, Abdul Rahman said his ministry and the Sabah state government would resolve the dilemma of house buyers in a project involving 500 units of terrace houses at Taman Saujana Kinabalu, which had been delayed for five years.
“Before any project can be categorised as ‘abandoned’, the developer, buyers and bank must agree to it. If the buyers do not agree, the ministry cannot declare the project as abandoned,” he said.
He said the ministry would initiate measures, such as rehabilitation of the project, once it is declared abandoned.
On the abandoned housing project in Lahad Datu involving 1,000 units, he said the project was being rehabilitated.