Educationist: Right for govt to cap price of face mask at RM1.50

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Datuk Felician Teo

SIBU: The government is making the right decision in capping the price of face masks at RM1.50 per piece as public interest outweighs other considerations, says educationist Datuk Felician Teo.

He opined this would make the face masks affordable to the masses.

In announcing the new ceiling price effective today, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the new price is lower than the RM2 per piece set previously, adding that not many face masks are locally produced, and mostly imported.

On this, Teo said: “The capping of the price of a face mask at RM1.50 is justified as it is an essential item at this crucial time. The government is trying to ensure that availability is not hampered by cost to the general public in order to save lives.”

He pointed out that this is in spite of local manufacturers complaining that increasing cost of raw materials to produce the masks would mean they will make a loss.

“The government is making a right decision as making sure the public can afford the masks far outweighs the need to protect the local industry at this time.

“Public interest outweighs other considerations in capping the face mask at RM1.50.”

Abdul Taib Rosli

Taman Selera Harmoni Sibu Muslim Traders Association chairman Abdul Taib Rosli echoed Teo’s view.

He opined that it would be appropriate for the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs to monitor the sales of face masks to ensure sellers toe the line.

“The supply of face masks needs to always be replenished and monitored to ensure sellers do not use this as an excuse to not stick to the ceiling price fixed by the government,” Abdul Taib suggested.

Mohd Safree Mohd Kassim

A member of the public, Mohd Safree Mohd Kassim, however, figured that RM1.50 for a face mask is still high considering the country is currently under the MCO to curb the spread of Covid-19.

“For consumers who are health conscious, they will not only buy face masks during the MCO period. From the standpoint of consumers, we hope the government would consider to further reduce the ceiling price of face masks,” he said.

He reasoned that this would make the face masks affordable in the rural areas as the price would be higher than the capped price due to transportation cost.

Christoper Gira

Meanwhile, Tamin assemblyman Christoper Gira hopes sellers will adhere to the ceiling price.

He said that the Sarawak government now is purchasing two million face masks from China which will be given free to all Sarawakians.

Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg recently announced 16 measures under the Sarawakku Sayang Special Assistance Package to help Sarawakians face the challenging times now due to the economic slump and the Covid-19 outbreak.