KOTA BHARU: Ministers and deputy ministers in the caretaker government should respect the principle of collective responsibility even when campaigning in the 15th general election (GE15), said Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.

He said it was rather unreasonable for ministers and deputy ministers to attack the government with baseless accusations as it only exposes their own shortcomings.

"Although Parliament has been dissolved, ministers and deputy ministers still function as caretakers and so the principle of collective responsibility is still in effect.

"Under the principle of collective responsibility, ministers and deputy ministers must support the government they serve," the Ketereh UMNO division chief told reporters when met at the Melor-level Keluarga Malaysia Cheap Sale programme (PJMKM) here today.

Annuar was responding to Deputy Minister of National Unity Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal's recent claims that the Special Task Force on Jihad Against Inflation had failed because it was chaired by a minister (Annuar) whose tasks had nothing to do with the Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry.


Dismissing this, Annuar said the special task force was also membered by Bersatu leaders such as Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed who are also trying to help the people deal with inflation-related issues such as price increase controls and so on.

"The facts (Wan Ahmad Fayhsal's claims) are far off the mark as this task force has existed for only two months and they (issues) can't be resolved in two months.

"In fact, we try to control prices by providing allocations and government funds such as subsidies for oil, chicken and eggs continuously. This has been found to be very effective as the price of chicken in our country remains cheap when compared to countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia.

"If an outsider says this, I can understand, but if (comes from) a deputy minister, then let it not be overboard and into thinking that this government is ineffective, when in fact under each ministry, we all have our respective track record," Annuar said.

-- BERNAMA