Anwar, who delivered a special address to domestic trade and cost of living enforcement officers in Putrajaya today, said that combating smuggling – a significant cause of revenue leakage – was not an easy task as it involved influential and armed criminal groups.

“That is why we ask the ministry’s enforcement bodies to ensure effective coordination with the police, customs department and immigration department,” he said in a Bernama report.

Anwar said the director of the ministry’s enforcement division, Azman Adam, must have good ties with other agencies to ensure that operations are carried out effectively.

He said any issues the enforcement division faces should be communicated to domestic trade and cost of living minister Armizan Mohd Ali and the ministry’s secretary-general Sayuthi Bakar so that they can be addressed and resolved at the Cabinet level.

Anwar said the government’s actions in implementing diesel subsidy rationalisation and floating chicken prices reflected its confidence in enforcement bodies.

Meanwhile, Armizan said he hoped Anwar would consider increasing the number of investigating officers at the Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) to help combat cartels in the country.

In a separate Bernama report, Armizan said MyCC only has 17 investigators despite being established in 2011.

“We seek your (Anwar’s) consideration on ways to strengthen the MyCC team,” he said during his speech.

Armizan also requested for the ministry’s enforcement division to be upgraded to a department, noting that various enforcement components within the government were classified as departments and agencies.