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KUALA LUMPUR – Despite welcoming the government’s move to offer a six-month rent moratorium to food stall operators at public institutions of higher learning, student groups want the initiative to be accompanied by detailed studies and long-term plans to protect student welfare.
Universiti Malaya Students’ Union general executive Muhammad Noraiman Zulkifli said studies are particularly crucial to avoid the students being subjected to “culture shock” once the moratorium ceases at the end of this year.
According to him, proper planning also needed to be conducted by the Higher Education Ministry to ensure the operators do not increase prices of food during this period and use the rising costs of goods as an excuse.
“I feel there is a need for prices of each item to be consistent. For instance, if you eat rice with chicken and vegetables, the price should be fixed,” he was quoted as saying by The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister portal Getaran.
“This way, there will be no room for anyone to take advantage, because today in UM, although you take the same items, the prices will differ depending on who is calculating.”
Noraiman also proposed that the government provide “one-off” aid to needy students, considering the current inflationary pressures, saying the previous RM100 cash aid provided was measly and lasted less than a month.
“While the moratorium will help, financial aid is needed. This is because the cost of living is increasing, including other non-food items like shampoo and soap, and many students are forced to do part-time jobs.
“If the government wants to give another one-off aid, I hope it will be consistent with the current cost of living. Alternatively, they can also give monthly aid, not only to the B40 students, but also the M40 group which is similarly affected.”
On Monday, Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Noraini Ahmad had announced that the ministry has agreed to offer a six-month moratorium to campus food operators to ensure rental costs can be absorbed to lower the prices of food.
International Islamic University Malaysia Students’ Union communication officer Zaim Mustaqim echoed Noraiman in urging the government to continuously monitor the prices of food sold on campuses to ensure the objective of the moratorium is achieved.
He also sees the announcement by the ministry as a “small victory” for students who have been campaigning online, demanding the government take measures to reduce the cost of living.
On the proposal to introduce fixed pricing for each food item, Zaim said priority should be given to campuses located in cities like in the Klang Valley, where prices of goods are usually much higher compared to other locations.
Separately, he also called on Tan Sri Annuar Musa, who is the chairman of the government’s Jihad Tangani Inflasi Special Task Force, to frequent campuses and meet students in a bid to ensure the implementation of the rent moratorium goes accordingly.
“If the moratorium is in place, we won’t see instances where prices do not see a drop. Annuar must continuously visit institutions of higher learning to listen to the views of the students.” – The Vibes, July 6, 2022
