Kuala Lumpur: The inflation rate in Sabah between January and August this year was 2.0 per cent, slightly higher than the national average of 1.8 per cent, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk S. K. Devamany.
He said throughout last year the State's inflation rate was lower, at 2.9 per cent compared to the national rate of 3.2 per cent.
"Goods and services which recorded a rise compared to the national average for food and non-alcoholic drinks, recreation, culture, hotel, restaurant, decorations, household maintenance and hardware.
"Other food items such as meat, milk, eggs, sugar, jam, honey, chocolate and sweetmeats as well as other manufactured foods recorded a rate increase compared to the national average," he said, replying to Datuk Chua Soon Bui (Independent-Tawau) at the Dewan Rakyat, here, Tuesday.
Chua had asked on the steps taken by the ministry and relevant authorities to resolve inflation woes faced by the people in Sabah.
Devamany said enforcement and price monitoring on essential items such as wheat, sugar, cooking oil, bread, chicken, petrol, diesel and cooking gas were constantly enhanced to ensure that prices remained stable and reasonable.
"The Government will continue to focus on lowering and controlling the inflation rate nationwide.
"To lower the price of essential goods in Sabah and Sarawak, the Government has implemented the price standardisation programme, transport subsidy as well as the 1Malaysia people's shop (KR1M)," he said.
He said under the 2013 Budget, the Government allocated RM386 million to ensure that essential goods in Sabah and Sarawak as well as Labuan were sold at the same price as in the peninsula.
"This included opening 57 KR1M and bearing the transportation cost from the peninsula to Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan including the interior areas.
To a supplementary question by Chua, he denied claims that only one KR1M was opened in each parliamentary area, thus preventing the people living in the rural areas to benefit from it.
"The KR1M was opened and located according to needs and not based on parliamentary areas," he said.-Bernama
