KUALA LUMPUR, July 27 — Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) Minister Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi is confident that the Malaysian Sales Campaign (KJM), launched today, can contribute RM100 billion to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the fourth quarter of this year.
The Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) railway stations and commuter trains will be used as advertising platforms for the campaign, which is aimed at inviting the people to spend and to regenerate the country’s economy that has been affected by Covid-19.
“The value of the May 2020 sales figure is RM36.9 billion, still low compared to the January 2020 total sales of RM46.8 billion.
“However, if our campaign succeeds in inviting the people to spend responsibly, then I believe the target of RM100 billion can be achieved,” he said at a press conference in conjunction with the campaign here today.
He said the KJM promotion would be implemented until Dec 31, with posters and digital displays placed throughout KTMB stations as well as several other public places, such as shopping malls, nationwide.
Nanta said the campaign would be implemented under a different theme each month to increase the demand for goods which experienced a sharp decline in demand during the movement control order (MCO) period.
“For example, the theme for the August sales will be fashion and cosmetics, while September will be for household items and furniture.
“Based on the ministry’s findings, demand for certain goods, such as fashion and related items, dropped by up to 90 per cent,” he said.
He also encouraged the public to use the MySales Tracker smartphone application to check the legitimacy of cheap sales.
In another development, Nanta said KPDNHEP will monitor the supply of face masks, following the decision to make it mandatory for everyone to wear one from Aug 1.
“We will study and monitor carefully the supply of face masks so that the problem of insufficient supply, which happened at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, does not recur,” he said.
He also reminded traders not to take advantage of the situation by selling the face masks above the stipulated ceiling price of RM1.20 per piece. — Bernama
