HAZE UPDATE: What is a fair price? We had a long parliamentary discussion on the haze this afternoon. A total of 30 questions were posed to the different Ministries. I asked the Ministry of Trade & Industry on the issue of profiteering and hoarding of N95 masks during the haze period and if they ran foul of the Control of Essential Supplies Act. I asked in particular if the MTI and related agencies such as the Retail Price Watch Group would consider releasing a fair price guide during national crisis so that essential items such as medical supplies and food items do not inflate in prices exponentially due to unscrupulous companies. I shared our experience in Yew Tee where from 19 June (first purchase of masks for our TC cleaners and PA staff), 20 June (second bulk purchase for all our rental block families), 21/22/23 June (mass distribution to vulnerable families, CHAS families and general public), 26 June (distribution to homes for the elderly) through to 3 July, the price for a box of masks fluctuated from $25 to $75. Senior Minister of State Lee Yi Shyan responded that the RPWG publishes a list of prices for essential items. There are certainly lessons for us to learn from the recent experience especially in supply management. He also assured that the Ministry will consider the suggestion. [Photo Credit: AFP]
Posted on: Tue, 09 Jul 2013 03:23:53 +0000