KUALA LUMPUR: MCA’s proposals for the poor and needy to be given direct financial aid have been welcomed as timely.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin described the RM100 payment to school students as a “good suggestion” and that the Government needed to work out the details.

“Let the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) who is also the Finance Minister have a look at it first before we decide on anything,” Muhyiddin said yesterday.

It tested samples frommost of the common brands available in hypermarkets and supermarkets and found high levels of the banned Sudan I red dye — a suspected carcinogen — in most of them.

Malaysian Association of Standards Users chief executive officer Ratna Devi Nadarajan said century and salted eggs sold to hypermarkets and supermarkets in the Klang Valley by two of the three main companies were found to contain the dye.

Ratna Devi said the Sudan 1 red dye is used to obtain a red or bright orange colour for the yolk.

“The dye is banned in Malaysia and is a suspected carcinogen.

FOOD prices are indeed shooting up. What is the role of the government, and how should consumers respond?

Both global and local factors affect food prices. The global factors are increasing demand and decreasing supply. Increasing demand is a result of an increase in global population, and the demand for higher value food in emerging economies, especially India and China.

Decreasing supply is the consequence of diminishing inputs, such as water and land for agriculture, and the most important factor, climate change.

Without major intervention at the global and local levels, the situation will worsen.

What about local factors? The most significant factor affecting food prices is the lack of investment in the agricultural sector.

PETALING JAYA: The minimum wage must be quickly implemented so that the people can cope with rising inflation, said MTUC president Mohd Khalid Atan.

He said MTUC recommended to the Government RM900 as minimum wage and RM300 as hardship allowance 11 years ago.

“Some have even asked for RM1,500 as minimum wage to reflect the current cost of living. The Government cannot just say be prepared for the rise in prices and not understand workers' situation,” he said, adding that 35% of the population still earned RM700 a month below the national poverty level of RM720.

Mohd Khalid was responding to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's warning for Malaysians to be mentally prepared for an increase in prices of various products due to a rise in oil prices and reduction in food supply caused by changes in the global climate.

He said although employers often used the excuse that salaries should commensurate with productivity, Malaysians' productivity level was decent although there was room for improvement.

By R. Ravichandran

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Bernama) -- The time has come for Malaysians to accept the new global economic reality and be prepared to be more prudent in their spending and give more focus in conserving precious resources like electricity and water, and to think less about subsidies.

This is important in facing the increase in the cost of various goods and products due to the increase in global oil prices and the reduction in food supply caused by changes in global climate.

In this context, speaking to Bernama, several non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as well as economic experts echoed the statement by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Thursday asking Malaysians to be mentally prepared to face an increase in prices on various products due to the increase in oil prices and reduction in food supply caused by changes in global climate.