Armizan said he did not want any party, including restaurant owners, to be perceived as exploiting the government’s announcement of a hike in the minimum wage of workers and salaries of civil servants to justify raising food prices.

“Following a meeting on Nov 14, they (restaurant operators) have given their commitment not to increase prices as previously announced and pledged they would be careful in making any statement,” he told a press conference after an event today.

“If they announce another price hike, we will call them in immediately. We understand there may be a need for price adjustments, but such actions must comply with the law.”

Last Tuesday, the Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Operators Association (Presma) said they would not be increasing prices by 5% at mamak restaurants nationwide, including in Johor, next year, as reported earlier.

Its president, Jawahar Ali Taib Khan, said this came after discussions with Armizan’s ministry.

He said previous media reports quoting Johor Indian Muslim Entrepreneurs Association secretary Hussein Ibrahim had misquoted him, causing a misunderstanding.

Earlier, it was reported that around 300 mamak restaurant owners in Johor were expected to implement a minimum 5% increase in food prices starting next year due to rising operational costs.

In a separate development, Armizan announced that the Program Jualan Rahmah Madani would be expanded to all higher education institutions from January next year.

He said the rollout will be carried out in phases, with pricing and product details to be finalised by the year-end.