CYBERJAYA, April 28 (Bernama) -- Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has voiced support for the Enforcement Division of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) to be upgraded to a department to strengthen the division's capacity in dealing with increasingly complex consumerism and enforcement issues.
He said the role of the enforcement team is no longer limited to traditional enforcement, but rather encompasses domestic trade issues, subsidy leakage and cross-border smuggling involving various ministries and agencies.
"The time has come for the Enforcement Division to be upgraded to the Enforcement Department. Datuk Armizan (Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living) has brought this proposal to the Cabinet (and) I will support the proposal in the Cabinet meeting," he said.
He said this when speaking at KPDN's 54th Enforcement Day Celebration and the launch of the National Consumer Policy 2.0, here today.
Also present were Minister of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali and his deputy Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh and KPDN enforcement director-general Datuk Azman Adam.
Ahmad Zahid said that when issues related to consumerism and trade occur, the enforcement team is often the front line that is referred to by the government and the community.
He stressed that the increasing responsibility requires the strength of the organization to be equivalent in terms of structure, human resources and operational capabilities.
"When the task becomes more challenging and the responsibility becomes greater, it seems that the strength of the team also has to keep pace," he said.
Therefore, Ahmad Zahid hoped that the Public Service Department (JPA) could examine the proposal comprehensively to ensure that the restructuring could increase the effectiveness of enforcement.
Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said that enforcement today could no longer be conventional, but instead needed to utilise technology, data and intelligence to ensure faster and more accurate action in dealing with subsidy abuse, price manipulation and modern trade crimes.
He also praised the success of enforcement operations such as Ops Tiris which recorded seizures of more than RM260 million since 2023, in addition to the implementation of more than one million inspections within a year.
Ahmad Zahid said consumer protection in an increasingly complex world was no longer an option, but rather a national necessity to ensure market stability and the well-being of the people were maintained.
-- BERNAMA
