PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Muslim Restaurant Owners Association (PRESMA) has denied allegations that mamak restaurants in the association have hiked up their food and drink prices.
“We have the complete list of F&B prices for April. Our registered members can't simply raise the prices. Anyone who does it will be expelled from the association," said PRESMA president, Ayoob Khan Muhamad Yakub.
Ayoob spoke to the press after meeting the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (KPDNKK) Minister, Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin to discuss the allegations this evening.
“What happened on April 15 was that during an assembly, a Federal minister had claimed that prices of roti canai and teh tarik have gone up again,” said Ayoob.
“The truth is we can't simply raise our food prices. The ministry will come after us even if we raise it by 20sen. We are well aware of the Anti-Profiteering Act.”
The Federal minister had chided mamak restaurant owners who overcharged on teh tarik and roti canai during the Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (Kimma) annual general meeting in Shah Alam on April 15.
“We will meet him tomorrow to resolve the issue,” said Ayoob.
“We are not doing business for rich people. We cater mostly to the middle-income group. That's why we always put the rakyat first."
"We haven't raised the prices for the past two years. For instance, roti canai is sold at between RM1.20 to RM1.40 per piece. Teh tarik is priced between RM1.40 to RM1.90 per glass.”
Presma currently has 4,000 registered members, with 10,000 mamak restaurants nationwide.
The association, in collaboration with the ministry, is set to introduce discount cards for the disabled, senior citizens and students in the near future - offering discounts up to 25 percent for the disabled.
"We are in the midst of discussing the mechanism," said Hamzah