No more sweet deals for S'poreans in Johor
Malaysia bans foreigners from buying items like sugar, chicken
Weekend TODAY • January 19, 2008Nazry Bahrawi
[email protected]PRICES of groceries in Singapore have been going up between 10 and 20 per cent as shopkeepers take advantage of the approaching Chinese New Year festival but shoppers heading to Johor for cheaper deals will be disappointed.
Shops in Johor are now banned from selling controlled food items such as sugar, flour and chicken to Singaporeans and other foreigners, following a Malaysian Cabinet decision on Wednesday.
Those found guilty of taking controlled items out of Malaysia could face fines of up to RM100,000 ($43,860).
The ban was announced by Malaysia's Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shafie Apdal on the sidelines of a community event in Perlis on Friday.
Earlier in the week, he had given hint of the change when he was quoted as saying that these subsidies — which help to keep prices down — were meant for the benefit of Malaysians, not Thais or Singaporeans.
There is no ban on the sale of petrol, even though it is also a controlled item. Most, if not all, Singaporean motorists fill up their tanks when they cross the Causeway as petrol there is roughly half of what it costs in Singapore.
But there is talk that a RM20 tariff may be imposed on foreign vehicles entering the country.
A kilogramme of fine sugar costs about RM1.55 (about 68 cents) at a Malaysian supermarket while it costs between $1.15 and $1.25 at FairPrice supermarkets.
The ban could take effect as soon as next week after an inter-agency committee chaired by Mr Shafie finalises ways to enforce the restriction, an official from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs told Today.
The inter-agency committee is made up of officials from the ministry, marine police, customs officials and other related government agencies, said Haji Iskandar Halim Sulaiman, the ministry's deputy director of the Enforcement Division.
"There is some time before we can enforce the ban fully, but I would advise Singaporeans not to buy flour, sugar and other controlled items from now on," he said.
But Mr Iskandar admitted that it would be difficult for shops to ask customers to produce identity cards or passports at payment counters.
He told Today: "Enforcement will be more focused at immigration checkpoints."
Another ministry official believed that the ban would not affect Singaporeans drastically as they are not allowed to buy controlled items in bulk.
Singaporeans, he felt, will not be too perturbed by the ban as the items involved are low in cost.
The ban follows one on palm oil-based cooking oil which was imposed two weeks ago following a scarcity of the item in Malaysia, which shells out annual subsidies on the cooking oil up to the tune of RM635 million.
The nation has suffered scarcities in recent times — of flour last year and sugar two years ago.
Some Singaporeans who frequent supermarkets across the Causeway told Today they were not too troubled by news of the ban.
Said 33-year-old Asrina Manhuri, who frequents Johor up to three times a month: "I can still get these products in Singapore. We go there mainly to pump petrol."
But 26-year-old Khairul Sufandy said he would have less reason to visit Johor if a ban was imposed on the sale of petrol.
A 62-year-old Singaporean contractor, who visits Johor once a month to buy $80 worth of groceries, sighed as he said: "Even Sheng Siong supermarket cannot match the prices of groceries in Johor."
Another Singaporean, 48-year-old Marcus Woo, who heads to Johor about three times a month, said he might forgo such trips once the ban comes into effect.
"I might as well go to Batam to buy groceries — and spend a few hours of relaxing there," he said.
