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April 9, 2021 8:40 AM
GEORGE TOWN: A consumer group has urged the government to set up a medical tribunal to handle complaints of negligence and other matters related to services provided by healthcare providers.

The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) said such a tribunal would allow those unable to afford lawyers to seek redress for their complaints.

Its president, Marimuthu Nadason, said the National Consumer Complaints Centre run by Fomca receives a number of complaints, but they cannot be addressed as they involve issues that require input from specialists or the hospitals themselves.

“We usually help those with medical-related consumer issues by writing to the health ministry or the healthcare provider concerned,” he told FMT.
“Most of the complainants feel they have been cheated or unfairly treated, so a medical tribunal would be the best avenue for them to seek redress.”

He said the tribunal could be placed under the auspices of the health ministry, and those failing to have their complaints resolved may take their cases to court.

“It also reduces the burden on the court system, with cases taking many years to be settled,” he said.

Marimuthu said the existing consumer tribunal will not be able to cover huge medical claims, so the proposed tribunal should have a ceiling of at least RM3 million.

Easier said than done, say lawyers

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April 5, 2021 3:53 PM
PETALING JAYA: Water operators should also be penalised for disruptions in supply to users, a consumer group has urged.

Speaking at a forum on the right to clean water today, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) president Marimuthu Nadason said water disruptions continue to be the norm as there are no laws which set out penalties for the water operators.

Marimuthu pointed out that there were 29 water cuts in the Klang Valley last year alone, and with each water cut lasting a minimum of one and a half days. Consumers in the Klang Valley had to deal with 45 days without water in 2020 – but have still had to pay their water bill in full.

Instead, the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) has key performance indexes which water operators must meet, failing which they could lose their licences. A federal body, SPAN is the executive authority protecting water supply and services in the country.

“This (water disruptions) is still happening due to something simple. The law is not clear about punishment, especially for water operators,” he said.

“In the UK, if there is a planned disruption, water operators have to reimburse (consumers) if their water is not back on within 48 hours. If it is a planned disruption, the water has to be back on in 12 hours.

“In Malaysia, due to the lack of laws to punish water operators, these disruptions are still happening,” he added at the forum.

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WHILE Malaysia may have sufficient water for now, this is not a certainty for the future.

The continuous decline of our water quality due to irresponsible and unethical human behaviours will render water that is acceptable to maintain human well-being scarce, says Professor Dr Zainura Zainon Noor. Additionally, improper planning of water utilisation and allocation may lead to water scarcity in certain parts of the country in the future, says Zainura, who is Deputy Director at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia’s (UTM) Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Water Security (Ipasa).

Improve awareness

Raising awareness is an essential prerequisite to improve water security, says Zainura. “By having awareness regarding water risks, the government, public and private sectors can act more willingly and proactively to mitigate those risks,” says Zainura, stressing the importance of both quality data and the accessibility of that data to the public, as it will increase support for evidence-based decisions and policies. “Raising awareness requires the production and dissemination of proper information highlighting the water-related trends and hazards, their location and magnitude, the vulnerable areas and the potential consequences or damage, at present and in the near future,” she adds.

Furthermore, information relating to water security-related risks is not uniformly distributed to water users, especially the public. Zainura explains that this contributes to the lack of awareness on water security, which is reflected by Malaysians’ passive effort towards safeguarding our water bodies. Although the Government is intensifying their efforts

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April 1, 2021 @ 5:17pm
LETTER: The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) and the National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) would like to alert Malaysian consumers on sudden spike of scams related complaints and be cautious and remain alert to scams.

Scammers are becoming increasingly more sophisticated with their tactics and are hoping that you let your guard down. We urge consumers not to provide their personal, banking or any details to strangers who have approached them though phone calls.

Fomca been receiving approximately 450 complaints and enquiries related to scam since January 2021. Based on our observation, these scammers take advantage of the vulnerable consumers and surprisingly some of the victims are highly educated.

It is becoming more difficult to know and differentiate between a scam and a legitimate business. Fomca also would like to urge all relevant authorities to be more active and play their role in curbing these unscrupulous activities.

Many consumers are still not aware about scamming activities. The Communications and Multimedia Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) should play an important role to educate consumers by using their channels to reach out to the public at large.

The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry also need to publish and update frequently all scam related cases in their website so that consumers would be able to get information relating to scams. Enforcement agencies also must charge these culprits and increase fines and jail terms for these offences.

Scammers are constantly trying to steal consumers' personal data using fake emails, websites, phone calls, and even text messages. They use a variety of ways to try to trick people into providing personal information, bank account numbers, and other valuable information such as credit card numbers.

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29th MARCH 2021

PRESS RELEASE: MOTOR INSURANCE A BANE TO THE SOCIETY

Each and every vehicle on the road need to have both insurance as well as road tax. Without these vehicles are not allowed to be on the road. In fact, without insurance, car owners are not allowed to renew the road tax. In another word, insurance policy is very important for all car owners.

Just imagine the number of vehicles on the road, from motorcycles to trailers. Although it is vital to own a vehicle insurance policy to protect the policy holder’s vehicle in the event of an accident, but are the insurance companies doing what they are supposed to do in the event of the accident?

One peculiar situation faced by consumers are workshops who are not under the insurer’s panel. Although the workshops are registered with Persatuan Insurans Am Malaysia (PIAM) and Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan Raya (JPJ), some insurance companies deny the consumers choice. This contradicts against the 8 pillars of the consumer’s right which is freedom to choose. Consumers have their regular visits to their workshops whom they feel confident of the mechanics working on their vehicles. To deny the policy holders to go to the workshops of their choice is equivalent to infringe on the freedom to choose.

As long as the workshops are registered under PIAM and JPJ should suffice for the insurer to pay for the repair work in the event of an accident. On top of that the insurers will appoint their own adjuster to evaluate the amount of damage after the policy holder sends the vehicle to the workshop with the police report. So why does the insurer insist the policy holders to send the vehicles to the insurer’s panel workshop.

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March 23, 2021 11:43 PM
KUALA LUMPUR: Gabungan Persatuan-Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (Fomca) menggesa pihak berkuasa supaya lebih tegas dalam memantau maklumat pelabelan pengilang atau pengeluar serta tarikh luput pada telur yang dijual kepada pengguna.

Timbalan Setiausaha Agungnya Nur Asyikin Aminuddin dalam kenyataan hari ini berkata selepas notis makluman dikeluarkan Singapura yang bertindak menarik balik telur keluaran syarikat Malaysia daripada pasaran di republik itu, Fomca menerima kira-kira 1,000 panggilan pengguna yang menzahirkan kebimbangan mereka terhadap tahap keselamatan telur keluaran negara.

Jelasnya berdasarkan tinjauan Fomca di beberapa pasar raya kecil dan kedai runcit mendapati maklumat pelabelan pada papan telur tidak lengkap malah ada juga langsung tiada maklumat mengenai pengilang atau pengeluar.

“Selain itu, telur-telur yang terjual di kedai runcit kebiasaannya tidak mempunyai tarikh luput untuk rujukan pengguna. Perkara ini, menyukarkan pengguna untuk mengesan sama ada produk telur yang dibeli oleh mereka terlibat atau tidak dengan ‘batch’ keluaran dari ladang yang terbabit.

“Melainkan jika pihak yang bertanggungjawab seperti pasar raya AEON yang mengeluarkan notis tarik balik untuk makluman pelanggan mereka,” katanya dalam kenyataan itu.

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23 Mac 2021
SHAH ALAM - Purata penggunaan air per kapita harian oleh rakyat Malaysia lebih tinggi daripada yang disarankan oleh Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB).

Presiden Gabungan Persatuan Pengguna-Pengguna Malaysia, Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason berkata, PBB telah menetapkan keperluan air sebanyak 165 liter seorang pada setiap hari.

Menurut Dr Marimuthu, berdasarkan statistik Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara (SPAN), rakyat Malaysia menggunakan purata 201 liter air setiap orang sehari bersamaan dengan 134 botol (kapasiti 1.5 liter setiap satu).

“Masyarakat perlu diberikan kesedaran dan mengetahui kepentingan sumber air dan kesan negatif jika terus mencemarkannya. Kerajaan berhasrat mengurangkan penggunaan air hingga 180 liter setiap orang sehari pada tahun 2025.

“Penggunaan air rakyat Malaysia tinggi iaitu sebanyak 219 liter setiap orang setiap hari berbanding kadar 160 liter sehari yang disyorkan. Tahap kesedaran dalam kalangan rakyat Malaysia memainkan peranan penting bagi mengurangkan penggunaan air kerana mereka (rakyat) merasa selesa dan menganggap negara kita mempunyai sumber air yang banyak,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan bersama Persatuan Pengguna Air dan Tenaga Malaysia dan Forum Air Malaysia pada Isnin.

Pada 22 Mac 2021, seluruh dunia mengadakan sambutan Hari Air Sedunia secara dalam talian (online) kerana norma sosial baru untuk membendung wabak Covid-19.

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22 Mac 2021

SIARAN AKHBAR BERSAMA
GABUNGAN PERSATUAN-PERSATUAN PENGGUNA MALAYSIA (FOMCA)
Persatuan Pengguna Air dan Tenaga Malaysia (WECAM)
Forum Air Malaysia (FAM)

Sambutan Hari Air Sedunia 2021 – Menghargai air

Pada 22 Mac 2021, sambutan Hari Air Sedunia akan disambut dalam talian di seluruh dunia kerana norma sosial baru untuk membendung wabak Covid-19. Hari Air Sedunia berkatian dengan sambutan air dan memberikan kesedaran mengenai krisis air secara global dan fokus utama adalah untuk menyokong pencapaian Matlamat Pembangunan Lestari (SDG) 6: air dan sanitasi untuk semua pada tahun 2030.

Tema Hari Air Sedunia 2021 adalah menghargai air. Nilai air lebih banyak daripada harganya - air mempunyai nilai yang sangat kompleks dan besar untuk isi rumah, makanan, budaya, kesihatan, pendidikan, ekonomi dan integriti persekitaran semula jadi kita. Jika kita terlepas pandang mana-mana nilai-nilai ini, cara pengurusan yang salah untuk sumber yang terbatas dan tidak terganti ini akan memberi kesan yang besar kepada manusia. SDG 6 adalah untuk memastikan air dan sanitasi untuk semua. Tanpa pemahaman menyeluruh mengenai nilai pelbagai dimensi ini, kita tidak akan dapat melindungi sumber yang kritikal ini untuk kepentingan semua orang.

Walaupun Malaysia dilimpahi dengan sumber air yang melimpah, negara ini mengalami peningkatan permintaan bekalan air yang membimbangkan dalam beberapa tahun ini. Ramai yang beranggapan sumber semula jadi ini sesuatu yang biasa, dan sering salah anggap bahawa bekalan air bersih adalah mudah dan murah.

Permintaan untuk air semakin tinggi pada masa kini. Terdapat beberapa faktor penyumbang seperti peningkatan populasi manusia, yang kini mencapai 7 bilion, perkembangan industri dan pertanian dan pembangunan yang tidak terkawal. Pada masa ini bekalan air dunia tidak mencukupi, kualiti air yang merosot dan aliran permukaan air yang rendah.

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22 March, 2021

JOINT PRESS RELEASE BY
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA)
Water and Energy Consumers Association of Malaysia (WECAM)
Forum Air Malaysia (FAM)


Celebrating World Water Day 2021 – Valuing Water

On 22 March, 2021, World Water Day will be celebrated in an online event throughout the world due to new social norms to curb Covid-19 pandemic. The World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the global water crisis, and a core focus of the observance is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.

The theme of World Water Day 2021 is valuing water. The value of water is about much more than its price – water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. If we overlook any of these values, we risk mismanaging this finite, irreplaceable resource. SDG 6 is to ensure water and sanitation for all. Without a comprehensive understanding of water’s true, multidimensional value, we will be unable to safeguard this critical resource for the benefit of everyone.

Though Malaysia is blessed with abundant water resources, the country is experiencing an alarming increase in demand for water supply in recent years. Many seem to take this natural resource for granted, while often having the misconception that supplying clean water would be cheap and easy.

Demand for the water is higher nowadays. There are several contributory factors such as increased human population, which now stands at 7 billion, uncontrolled developments, industrial and agricultural expansion. Currently world water supply is inadequate, deteriorating in quality and low flow of surface water. The greed for money is causing water pollution and quality deterioration. As a result, water has reached its carrying capacity, where water has reached its limits in balancing the pollution and negative treatment it receives.

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16 Mac 2021
SHAH ALAM - Penggunaan plastik sukar dielakkan kerana ia telah menjadi suatu kebiasaan yang memudahkan kehidupan seharian dari peralatan makanan sehingga komponen peralatan elektrik dan kenderaan.

Presiden Gabungan Persatuan - persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA), Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason berkata, berdasarkan laporan World Wildlife Fund (WWF) pada tahun 2020, anggaran nilai penggunaan bungkusan plastik makanan di Malaysia berjumlah 148,000 tan metrik.

“Malaysia juga merupakan pengimport utama sampah plastik iaitu kira-kira 870,000 tan metrik pada tahun 2018,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan pada Isnin sempena sambutan Hari Hak-hak Pengguna Sedunia (WCRD) disambut pada 15 Mac setiap tahun.

Beliau berkata, satu kajian menganggarkan bahawa Malaysia telah menghasilkan 0.94 juta tan sisa plastik yang tidak terurus.

“Daripada jumlah tersebut, 0.14 hingga 0.37 juta tan mungkin telah masuk ke lautan.

“Keupayaan negara untuk mengatasi masalah sampah plastik telah melebihi tahap kemampuan. Hanya sembilan peratus sampah plastik yang dihasilkan dunia telah dikitar semula. Sebilangan besar sampah plastik tersebut berakhir di tapak pelupusan sampah, longkang atau persekitaran,” katanya.

Beliau yang juga Presiden Consumers International berkata, kerajaan telah mengambil beberapa tindakan untuk mengurangkan penggunaan beg plastik termasuk mengenakan caj bagi beg plastik yang dijual di pasar raya dan kedai serbaneka.