This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on July 18, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: Economics Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali yesterday chaired the maiden inter-ministerial committee meeting to review monopolies in the country’s services and supply chain across various economic sectors.

According to the ministry’s spokesman, the attendees included representatives from the health ministry, transport ministry, agriculture and agro-based industry ministry, and Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu).

On June 27, Agro-based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub said the government had established a special ministerial-level committee, comprising six cabinet ministers, to study the monopoly of certain companies across various economic sectors.

For his ministry, Salahuddin had said the committee will discuss breaking Padiberas Nasional Bhd’s (Bernas) monopoly on rice imports. Bernas is linked to tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary.

As for the health ministry, it has been widely reported that Pharmaniaga Bhd is seen to have a monopolistic position in the supply of biopharmaceutical products in the public healthcare system.

Within the transport ministry’s purview, the government had said it is reviewing Grab’s monopoly status in the ride-hailing market, after its merger with rival Uber in March.

Apart from Malaysia, the merger between Grab and Uber is also being investigated in Singapore, where the combined entity is said to have infringed Section 54 of the city state’s Competition Act.