Jihad against inflation special task force chairman Annuar Musa said the matter was proposed in the task force’s last meeting and agreed upon by the Cabinet in its meeting yesterday.

He said it also followed the higher education ministry’s initiative in giving six-month rent exemption to food stall operators and service providers in public university campuses, which enabled them to offer meals for as low as RM3.50.

“It has been proven doable,” said Annuar, who is also communications and multimedia minister.

“So, we will expand the policy to have government agencies like Kuala Lumpur City Hall, Mara as well as ministries which are renting out their premises to petty traders to reduce the rents by at least 10% to 20%,” he told a press conference after chairing a task force meeting today.

Annuar hoped that efforts to reduce rent and organise sale or price reduction programmes for certain items including chicken, eggs and cooking oil, would boost public confidence in helping the government to curb inflation and price hikes, in line with this year’s National Day theme, “Keluarga Malaysia, Standing Strong Together”.

“As a Malaysian family, we have to try to reduce prices so that the country will not get stuck in a cycle of price hikes,” he said.