28/01/2026

WEDNESDAY | JAN 28, 2026

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Essential food prices surge before festive season

Call for cleanliness during Ipoh Thaipusam celebration Ű BY P. CHANDRA SAGARAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

o Sudden hikes burden devotees, raise concerns over transparency: Association

the public. He also raised concerns over a lack of transparency at wet markets, adding that price tags were often not displayed and weighing scales were usually not visible to consumers. He urged the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Department to take firm action against unethical practices and to step up monitoring, particularly during festive periods. “Although ceiling prices have been set for essential goods, regular monitoring is needed to ensure that the policy is fully implemented by retailers, especially during festive times,” he said, adding that authorities should also look into the frequent shortages of subsidised 1kg packets of cooking oil. Murugiah also told theSun that the practice of providing weighing scales for public use at council-owned markets, introduced some 30 years ago, should be reinstated to protect consumers from being short-changed.

cursory survey at several retail shops and wet markets after receiving numerous complaints from consumers over steep and sudden price hikes. “Of the 15 items surveyed, there was indeed a surge in the prices of essential food items ranging from 14% to 100%.” He also said other vegetables recorded sharp increases, including ginger and brinjal, which rose by 87.5% and 71.4% respectively. “Other essential vegetables, including lady’s fingers, cauliflower, long beans and (moringa) also saw an increase of between 40% and 50% per kg in this short period of time.” Murugiah said coconuts and mangoes, commonly used by devotees during Thaipusam, were also affected, with prices rising by up to 40% per fruit and 100% per kg respectively. He added that the sudden spike places a heavy financial burden on devotees observing a strict vegetarian diet ahead of Thaipusam, as well as on groups preparing free meals for years before being replaced by the current silver chariot in 1894. The chariot stands 23.9m high and weighs five tonnes. Veerappan said it undergoes annual maintenance carried out by volunteers spanning three generations of the same families, reflecting the deep heritage behind the procession. Weeks before Thaipusam, volunteers conduct greasing, polishing of silver components, lighting repairs and other servicing to ensure it is in top condition. He added that 16 pairs of bulls would be used to pull the chariot, with pairs rotated about every 500m to prevent fatigue, dismissing claims that only a few pairs are repeatedly used. The procession route remains unchanged, but the temple has requested permission from the authorities for an earlier start time of 5.30am on Jan 31 to ease congestion. The Silver Chariot would depart from the Nagarathar Kovil Veedu Temple in Penang Street on Jan 31, passing through Chulia Street, Victoria Street, Maxwell Road, Datuk Keramat Road and Western Road before reaching the Nattukottai Chettiar Temple. – Bernama

IPOH: Half a million devotees expected to throng Ipoh for Thaipusam on Feb 1 have been reminded to keep the city clean or face enforcement action. The crowd is set to converge on the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Jalan Sungai Pari and the Lord Subramaniar Kallumalai Temple in Gunung Cheroh, with the festival falling on a long weekend and a public holiday in Perak. Ipoh Hindu Devasthana Paripalana Sabha secretary V.M. Thiagarajan said the Ipoh City Council would deploy 100 rubbish bins at key locations, while the temple committee would provide another 50. “Do not litter, as enforcement officers will be monitoring the areas.” He added that reminders would be displayed prominently, with regular announcements over the public address system, including warnings on the consequences of littering. To date, 500 kavadi bearers have registered with the temple, with more expected in the coming days. New interlocking bricks have also been laid around the Lord Subramaniar Temple to improve crowd movement and safety. Thaipusam celebrations will begin on Jan 31 with the chariot procession carrying the statue of Lord Subramaniar from the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Jalan Sungai Pari to Gunung Cheroh, via Jalan Sungai Pari, Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan Lahat, Jalan Sultan Yussuf, Jalan Sultan Idris Shah and Jalan Raja Musa Aziz. On Feb 1, devotees would carry kavadis from the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple to Gunung Cheroh using the same route. The following day, the chariot procession from the Lord Subramaniar Temple would make its return journey along the same roads to the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Jalan Sungai Pari.

Ű BY T.C. KHOR newsdesk@thesundaily.com

GEORGE TOWN: Tomato prices have doubled within a month in the run-up to Thaipusam and Chinese New Year, sparking concerns over profiteering and weak enforcement at wet markets, a consumer group said yesterday. Penang Hindu Association president Datuk P. Murugiah said a survey conducted on Jan 26 found that prices had surged from RM2.50 per kg last month to RM5 per kg this month. “This is a 100% increase in just one month.” He added that the association carried out a

AI-tracking added to historic Silver Chariot GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Waterfall Nattukotai Chettiar Temple has introduced an artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced tracking system for its Silver Chariot procession in conjunction with Thaipusam, marking a technological milestone in the festival’s history.

Managing trustee PRC Veerappan said the tracker would provide real-time location updates and estimated arrival times for devotees following the procession. “This year, we are officially launching our own tracker under a new domain, Silver Chariot Penang. It is enhanced with AI and calibrated using data collected over the past two years to provide more accurate timing predictions,” he told a press conference at the Nagarathar Kovil Veedu Temple on Monday. He added that the century-old chariot, built in Karaikudi in Tamil Nadu, and shipped to Penang in January 1894, would mark its 132nd year, while the main chariot procession enters its 169th year, having been held annually without interruption, including during the Covid-19 pandemic. A wooden chariot was used for the first 35

Veerappan (second from left) alongside volunteers conducting the annual maintenance session for the Silver Chariot. – BERNAMAPIC