The Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, Ismail Sabri, welcomes efforts by the MCA to become the mediator in resolving the issue on the retail licence with the Federation of Malaysian Retailers Association.

NONE MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek ( left) could help the ministry in tackling the issue by meeting with the retailers, he said today in Kuala Lumpur.

"Fifteen thousand retailers have already applied for the licence to sell essential items, so it should not pose a problem to the consumers in buying the goods or cause a supply shortage," he told reporters at the Parliament Lobby.

Members of the Federation of Malaysian Retailers Association will stop selling sugar, cooking oil and flour beginning tomorrow because they do not agree with the government's move to introduce the retail licence for the three controlled items.

Its president, Lean Hing Chuan when said the federation had obtained agreement from most of the Chinese retail associations numbering about 20,000 retailers throughout the country.

"We will begin the boycott tomorrow because today was the last day we will sell the items until stocks are depleted," he said.

Lean said the retailers, including from Sabah and Sarawak are also supporting the boycott because they all feel that the sale of these three items does not yield much profits.

- Bernama