SHAH ALAM, Jan 11 — The state government has been urged to forge closer cooperation with its federal counterpart across various initiatives to ease the cost of living, after Selangor was listed as the most expensive state to live in Malaysia.
Putra Business School (PBS) Master of Business Administration programme director Prof Ahmed Razman Abdul Latiff said addressing the cost of living requires a comprehensive approach, including public awareness and price control measures.
“Residents can make use of the price-checking application managed by the Economy Ministry to compare prices before purchasing essential goods.
“At the same time, the public should be trained to report traders who take advantage by charging excessively high prices, while programmes such as Jualan Rahmah should be expanded,” he told Media Selangor.
Razman added resolving cost-of-living issues should not focus solely on the prices of goods, but must also involve income levels, including the salaries of civil servants and employees of government-linked companies.
“The state government can consider policies to raise the minimum wage, for example from RM1,700 to RM2,500, as some GLCs have already done,” he said.
Last month, the Statistics Department (DOSM) reported that Selangor, including its capital Shah Alam, ranked highest in terms of cost of living based on the Basic Expenditure of Decent Living (PAKW) Index.
Chief statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin said the index measures the level of expenditure required to maintain an adequate standard of living by location.
Selangor recorded the highest scores among all states for households of one to four persons.
