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KUALA LUMPUR: Kerajaan akan segera mengambil inisiatif untuk meringankan beban ekonomi rakyat, kata Menteri Hal Ehwal Ekonomi, Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali.Mohamed Azmin yang juga anggota Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi dalam kenyataannya hari ini berkata, majlis itu akan segera melaksanakan usaha mengurangkan kos sara hidup, memperkukuh pendapatan rakyat, membasmi kemiskinan dan meningkatkan tahap pemilikan rumah dalam kalangan rakyat.“Pakatan Harapan (PH) juga akan menggandakan usaha melaksanakan perubahan sehingga menjadi sumber kekuatan rakyat.“Kita harus berani melaksanakan janji-janji khususnya kepada masyarakat Melayu dan Bumiputera yang juga bahagian integral agenda nasional dan kita akan melaksanakannya tanpa rasa apologetik atau bimbang terhadap kritikan luar,” katanya.Mohamed Azmin berkata, keputusan Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Semenyih ialah mesej jelas daripada rakyat yang menuntut kerajaan PH segera bertindak menyelesaikan masalah dan kebajikan rakyat tanpa perlu menyalahkan mana-mana pihak.

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BENTONG 2 Mac - Rakyat negara ini disaran beralih kepada tanaman lain seperti buluh dan kelapa selaras dengan cadangan kerajaan menghentikan peluasan penanaman kelapa sawit di kawasan baharu di seluruh negara.Menteri Industri Utama, Teresa Kok Suh Sim berkata, langkah itu penting memandangkan tanaman baharu seperti buluh dilihat amat berpotensi dan mendapat permintaan baik.“Saya rasa inilah masanya untuk kita hentikan perluasan penanaman kelapa sawit dan melihat kepada tanaman lain contohnya di Pahang sesete­ngah kawasan terdapat banyak pokok buluh. Buluh boleh dijadikan banyak barangan dan Jepun adalah pasaran terbaik untuk produk buluh.“Ini adalah antara jenis pokok (tanaman) yang boleh kita lihat, lupakan hanya menumpukan kepada penanaman kelapa sawit,” katanya dalam sidang akhbar selepas merasmikan Projek The Valley@Bentong di sini hari ini.

Yang hadir sama Ahli Parli­men Bentong, Wong Tack; Pe­ngerusi Bina Puri Holdings­ Bhd. (Bina Puri), Tan­ Sri Ir. Wong Foon Meng; Pe­ngarah Urusan Kumpulan Bina Puri, Tan Sri Tee Hock Seng dan Pengarah Eksekutif Kumpulan Bina Puri, Datuk Mathew Tee.Tambah beliau, selain buluh, pokok kelapa dilihat berpotensi dan boleh mendatangkan keuntungan yang mana Malaysia sendiri mengimport kira-kira RM1 juta kelapa setahun.Dalam pada itu, beliau berkata, langkah menghentikan peluasan penanaman kelapa sawit adalah tepat memandangkan minyak sawit di dalam negara mencukupi bagi menstabilkan harga komoditi itu.Jelasnya, kejatuhan harga minyak sawit hujung tahun lalu menyaksikan ramai pekebun kecil menderita dan terkesan berbanding syarikat besar yang dilihat masih mampu meraih keuntu­ngan.Sementara itu, mengulas menge­nai kunjungannya ke Indonesia baru-baru ini, beliau berkata, perbincangan me­ngenai masa depan minyak sawit dengan Indonesia berjalan baik dan Malaysia bersama Indonesia akan terus membantah usaha Kesatuan Eropah (EU) untuk memboikot minyak sawit.

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KUALA LUMPUR 3 Mac - Rancangan pembinaan sebuah lagi klinik kesihatan di Semenyih akan diteruskan seperti yang pernah dicadangkan biar pun keputusan Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Semenyih tidak memihak kepada Pakatan Harapan (PH), kata Menteri Kesihatan Datuk Seri Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad.Beliau berkata, ia perlu direalisasi bagi memastikan penduduk di kawasan itu mendapat kemudahan perubatan kesihatan yang baik.
“Apa yang disebut oleh calon kami sebelum ini adalah sesuatu yang mustahak memandangkan Klinik Kesihatan di pekan Semenyih dan Beranang sudah uzur dan sesak.“Saya yakin kami akan dapat lokasi tanah dan peruntukan daripada kerajaan negeri untuk menjayakan perkara ini,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan Acara ‘Run For Rare’ dekat sini hari ini.Beliau bagaimanapun tidak menetapkan anggaran masa berkaitan pembinaan klinik itu.

Sebelum ini, calon PH Muhammad Aiman Zainali dilapor menjadikan pembinaan hospital di Semenyih sebagai agenda utama jika menang PRK itu memandangkan ia adalah permasalahan paling banyak diutarakan oleh masyarakat setempat.Bagaimanapun pada 25 Februari lalu, Dr. Dzulkefly mencadangkan pembinaan sebuah lagi klinik kesihatan oleh kerana dua klinik di pekan Semenyih dan Beranang tidak boleh diperluaskan kerana kekangan tempat selain penambahbaikan fasiliti Hospital Kajang yang merupakan hospital terdekat di Semenyih.Semalam, keputusan PRK DUN Semenyih menyaksikan kemenangan Barisan Nasional (BN) apabila berjaya menawan semula kerusi DUN Semenyih selepas calonnya, Zakaria Hanafi memenangi persaingan empat penjuru pada PRK kawasan itu dengan memperoleh 19,780 iaitu majoriti 1,914 undi.Zakaria menewaskan Muhammad Aiman yang memperoleh 17,866 undi; Nik Aziz Afiq Abdul, 25, daripada Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) (847 undi) dan calon bebas yang juga seorang aktivis masyarakat, Kuan Chee Heng, 56, (725 undi). - BERNAMA 

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KUALA LUMPUR: Keluarga kanak-kanak yang tidak mengambil vaksin seperti ditetapkan menerusi Program Imunisasi (NIP) Kebangsaan (NIP) terpaksa menanggung kos lebih tinggi kerana perlu menjalani pelbagai prosedur rawatan.Pegawai Perubatan Hospital Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur, Dr Marieanne Sundram, berkata sebelum meneruskan rawatan, pakar perlu menjalankan pelbagai penilaian terhadap pesakit berikutan risiko mereka berdepan komplikasi adalah tinggi.Beliau berkata, kanak-kanak berkenaan akan menjalani proses pengasingan untuk melihat tahap keseriusan penyakit dihadapi.

Ketahanan badan lebih rendah

“Sistem ketahanan badan individu terutama kanak-kanak yang tidak divaksin lebih rendah berbanding yang mendapatkan imunisasi.“Sebelum menjalani rawatan lanjut, pesakit yang tidak menerima suntikan akan diasing dalam bilik khas jika rawatan awal tidak menunjukkan tindak balas positif.“Kita menerima kemasukan semua pesakit termasuk yang tidak diberi vaksin untuk rawatan terbaik dalam keadaan kritikal kerana ia prosedur standard di semua pusat rawatan.“Bagaimanapun, sudah pasti mereka perlu menjalani pelbagai prosedur yang dengan sendirinya meningkatkan kos rawatan,” katanya.Dr Marieanne mengulas keengganan ibu bapa menghantar anak mendapatkan suntikan vaksin menerusi program NIP hingga menyebabkan masalah sistem imun badan yang rendah serta mudah dijangkiti penyakit.

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DENGUE continues to be on high alert in Selangor with all the local councils raising the matter at their respective monthly full board meeting.Klang recorded three deaths in January while Petaling Jaya and Ampang Jaya recorded one death each.At the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) meeting, it was learnt that there were 3,199 reported cases.Stating that the matter had gone out of control, MPK deputy president Adi Faizal Ahmad Tarmizi said the council now resorted to issuing compounds to residents instead of its usual warning notices.Since January, MPK has issued 14 compounds to residents.“We are also working with the Klang Health Department to eradicate dengue and noticed that the rise in dengue was due to the lack of public education,” he said.Port Klang assemblyman Azmizam Zaman Huri, who was also present at the meeting, said his office was open to any residents who want to hold a gotong-royong to clean up their neighbourhood.

The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) meeting learnt of the one death due to dengue and that the city has almost 300% increase in cases until week eight of this year compared to last year.The death was recorded at Gugusan Melur Section 4, Petaling Jaya Utara in Kota Damansara.There were 1,097 cases recorded since early this year as compared to only 278 cases same time last year, said Petaling Jaya mayor Datuk Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain.“Both Shah Alam and Subang Jaya have higher number of dengue cases as compared to Petaling Jaya, but we are still concerned.“Gotong-royong sessions are important but we need to also inspect inside the houses at all hotspots,” said Mohd Azizi.

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IT has been reported that the government has commenced talks with Gamuda Bhd to negotiate the acquisition of four tolled highways in which this company has a majority stake. Upon acquiring the highways, the government would then reduce the toll rate by 30% during peak hours and to zero during off-peak hours (11pm to 5am).This is the first step towards fulfilling the Pakatan Harapan election pledge to abolish toll charges.We have been hearing for the past many months that the present government is under tremendous pressure to manage the country’s national debt amounting to one trillion ringgit. After the general election victory in May last year, an effort to raise funds was initiated by concerned Malaysians to help the government pay off this debt. A few infrastructure mega projects were also halted or scaled down to save the country from falling deeper into debt.

It seems the government is optimistic of its ability to overcome the national debt now, otherwise it would not initiate a plan to acquire the four highways, which could easily cost billions of ringgit. Is this the right time to commit to such a heavy burden, especially when there is so much uncertainty over the global economic outlook? Economists are of the opinion that the United States may face a recession by 2021.The government shouldn’t forget the annual shortfall of RM20bil after replacing the goods and services tax with the sales and service tax. I therefore urge the present administration to practise more restraint in pampering the rakyat as it could result in collecting less revenue, and then it would be unable to meet its ever rising expenditure. In the US, Democrats are persistently blocking the president from building the US-Mexico wall, which may cost the country billions of dollars.

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PETALING JAYA: The National Water Services Commission (SPAN) has contingency plans in place in the event the water at dams nationwide reach critical levels, says SPAN chairman Charles Santiago.However, he gave the assurance that water levels at some 70 dams connected to treatment plants nationwide have recorded readings of between 95% and 100% at the moment.“There is a very slight drop, maybe 5% on average. There is enough water to support the rivers just in case there is a massive drop in the river water.“The critical point will start at between 30% and 40% onwards.Santiago said SPAN will activate emergency plans when water levels drop to 50%, but he did not elaborate on the details.

He also said that the water supply from the dams should be able to last until the end of March, unless there are dramatic changes in the weather.Santiago advised Malaysians to be prudent with their water usage during the current dry spell.“I would advise people to go slow on washing cars.“There are about 1.5 million vehicles in the Klang Valley alone, and if people wash their cars every day, then a lot of water is being used.“So maybe reduce it to washing the car once in a fortnight,” he said.He also advised consumers to harvest rainwater and use it for activities such as washing their cars and gardening.Santiago said that SPAN would continue working with state governments to monitor water levels in rivers and dams that supply drinking water.

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PETALING JAYA: Once a week since December 2017, Sivasangaran Ku­­ma­ran will strap his 21-month-old daughter Swathi Nisha Nair in the car seat and make the long drive from Seremban to Hospital Kuala Lumpur.At the hospital, Swathi gets three vials of drugs injected into her body as part of her enzyme replacement therapy.After that, Sivasangaran will drive her home and gets her ready for the next in a medley of treatments, including aquatherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy.Little Swathi is battling a rare disease called Infantile Pompe Disease.It is a genetic disorder that prevents the body from breaking down glycogen into simple glucose, causing severe damage to the muscles.“The amount of medication and therapies she has to go through is taxing for a child who is less than two years old and taxing for us pa­rents, too, because it’s costly,” said Sivasangaran, 40, adding that his wife had sacrificed her career to take care of Swathi.

Swathi’s weekly enzyme replacement therapy alone costs RM7,500 per session.Sivasangaran and his wife received the heartbreaking diagnosis when Swathi was only seven months old after a prolonged pneumonia led to the discovery of her failing heart.In trying to secure treatment and funding for Swathi, Sivasangaran saw himself struggling with what every rare disease patient and family face – lack of access to medication, funding, medical knowledge and little protection of the rights and dignity of patients.“In Malaysia, as there is no official registry for rare diseases, we are not able to track the actual number of rare disease patients.“We don’t have statistics and numbers on these diseases,” he said.

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GEORGE TOWN: A soya bean drink seller has lost almost half a million ringgit to a Macau scam syndicate.It is learnt that the 53-year-old woman from Bayan Lepas, Penang received a call from someone who claimed to be a “police officer” in Seremban early December last year (2018) .Following that, she transferred her money in stages to the syndicate until Tuesday (Feb 26).In the phone conversation, she was passed to another “police officer” who told her that someone had misused her name to get a loan from a bank twice.

 The “police officer” then offered to solve the problem for her but said the victim had to pay a certain amount of money in order to get her name off the records.Balik Pulau OCPD Supt A. Anbalagan said the woman had transferred money in stages for six times to the syndicate amounting up to RM476,000.“The woman was weeping when she made the report, but nothing can be done,” he said.Anbalagan advised the public to not believe in any individuals or “authorities” in instances that involved transferring money to any account without checking things thoroughly first.“Please inform the police or seek advice from family members or third parties to avoid falling prey to Macau scams.

“The public should have high awareness to avoid becoming victims,” he added.The term “Macau scam” was coined because it is believed that the ruse originated from Macau or that the first victims came from there. This has never been confirmed.The scam often starts with a phone call from someone pretending to be an officer from a bank, government agency or debt collector.The scammer will then claim that the potential victim owes money or has an unpaid fine, often with a very short window of less than an hour to settle the payment or face “dire consequences”.

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One of the key functions of government is the protection and enhancing of consumer wellbeing. But what are the factors that influence the rakyat’s well-being? FOMCA would like to suggest 12 factors that need to be given consideration in any effort to enhance society’s wellbeing.

  1. A fair wage. Bank Negara has suggested the concept of a “living wage” which constitutes the minimum income needed by households, beyond the basics of food, clothing and shelter, to participate in society for personal and family development, and freedom from severe financial stress. It research indicated that a couple with 2 children would need RM 6,500 a month, couple with one child would need RM 4,500 per month and a single adult would need RM 2,700 per month. About one third of households in Kuala Lumpur were living below the minimum standard of living in 2016. Those earning below the living wage were mostly secondary school graduates with low to mid-skilled jobs, while those earning above the living were mostly graduates with high-skilled jobs. These findings underscore the importance of creating a high skilled workforce that is equipped with the necessary skills for high-paying jobs.
  2. Affordable Food. Especially for the poor, who spend a substantial part of their income on food and essential items, the increasing price of food has had a devastating effect on their wellbeing. FOMCA believes that efforts by the government to liberalise the market through the Competition Law, would result in benefits to the consumer through lower prices, better quality and more choices. Currently, we believe that there is significant price manipulation through collusion and other forms of monopolistic behaviour resulting in higher food prices.  Freeing both the local and the import market could have substantial price savings for consumers. We are also excessively dependent on food imports. We need to refocus on food crops to ensure greater food self-sufficiency and better control of food prices.
  3. Affordable housing. It is clear from Bank Negara as well as the Khazanah Research Centre Study that houses being built are being priced way above the ability of consumers to pay with the income that they are receiving. Developers build over-priced houses and then push banks to take the risk of giving a loan to those who may not have sufficient income to service their mortgage payments as well as put pressure on consumers to borrow above their ability to pay must be stopped by the regulators.  The regulators need to make stronger efforts to ensure that house prices match consumers’ income.
  4. Accessible and Affordable Public Transport. Transport makes up a major portion of the households expenses of low and middle-income families. While in the Klang Valley the LRT/MRT system provides a crucial backbone of the public transport system; the last mile of the public transport system, that is the bus system, is still terribly inefficient and unreliable. Nationwide, both in major towns and small towns, the bus system is generally inefficient and unreliable. Often this would force consumers to use private cars. It is estimated that households spend about 20 to 30% of their disposal income on private transport – instalments, petrol, services, maintenance, road tax, insurance, tolls and parking charges. An efficient public transport would contribute substantial savings to the households.

What consumers expect from an efficient public transport system is reliable services, shorter commute time, clean and comfortable buses and updated and reliable information on bus routes and bus arriving times and if possible some conveniences such  as walkaways.

  1. Accessible and affordable healthcare. Health care inflation is estimated at 15 to 20%. While Malaysia does have an excellent public healthcare system, overcrowding and lack of resources in the public healthcare system results in long waits to see the specialist and sometimes shortage of beds to admit seriously ill patients. This has often resulted in consumers going to the private healthcare which can be extremely expensive. On one side the government is under-investing in public healthcare resulting is shortages and long waits. On the other hand about 40% of consumers pay hospital bills from their pockets, as they have no medical insurance. Thus there is indeed great concern among Malaysian consumers, especially the low and middle income, on how to face illnesses and medical emergencies as they find waiting to see the doctor in public hospitals too long while private hospitals are prohibitively expensive.
  2. A safe and secure community. The National Community Policy can play a significant role in creating space for the voice of consumers so that they provide views and feedback on community issues that have a direct effect on their well-being. On the other hand, consumers also can play a bigger role in the security and development of their community. In too many communities, vandalism, destruction of public property such as lifts and playground amenities, unhealthy environment for example that enables the breeding of the aedes mosquito, haphazard parking, and irresponsible dumping of rubbish continue to occur. Continuous awareness and education is crucial. So is effective enforcement, especially for those who are too stubborn to change. Consumers need to take greater responsibility for their safety and for the cleanliness and development of their community. FOMCA also hopes that beyond the basic needs of the community, developmental programs and activities can be developed. This could include youth sports and recreation centres, child care services, mental health support services, and support for the aged.
  3. Access to safe and reliable water supply and energy. There are still communities with no access to water and/or electricity. Further some communities, face frequent water shortages causing great difficulties and inconvenience to consumers. There is therefore an urgent need to implement an integrated water resources management plan for effective water governance.
  4. Assistance in childcare. Childcare is simply becoming more expensive. With two income families, as well as the loss of the extended family system, current families are dependent on private services to take care of their children. Additionally, school going children also place tremendous financial pressures on families, especially on low-income and middle-income families. Initiatives are needed especially to assist low income families in supporting child care and child education expenditure.
  5. Social safety Net for the Poor. The social safety net is a collection of services provided by the state including welfare, unemployment benefit, universal healthcare, education support, homes, and sometimes subsidized services such as public transport, which prevent individuals from falling into poverty or extreme suffering. The social safety net is targeted at poor and vulnerable households to protect them from economic pressures, especially increasing costs of living. It is high time that Malaysia had a comprehensive social safety net. There are indeed many ad-hoc measures by various institutions; however, a comprehensive social safety net in Malaysia is still lacking.
  6. Comfortable retirement savings. Malaysia is ageing, and the population over 65 should come to 15% of the population by 2035. For many Malaysians, the only saving they have for retirement is their Employee Provident Fund (EPF) savings, yet for most Malaysians the savings in EPF is barely enough for a decent life after retirement. EPF would suggest that the minimum savings target by age 55 is RM 228,000. However, only 18% of EPF members have this much. More than 68% of members aged 54 had less than RM 50,000 is savings which is estimated to last only 4 ½ years. The bottom fifth of EPF members have average savings of only RM 6,909. There are 14.5 million active EPF accounts.
  7. Consumer Empowerment. To face these challenging times, consumers need to understand the workings of the market; how the market works, how prices are determined and the limitations of the government role in determining market prices. Consumers should more importantly realize that they are not helpless or victims of the market. They can make choices, at least to some extent, to manage their consumption and expenditures. Through their purchasing patterns, to some extent at least, they can influence the market. The purpose of consumer education then is to empower consumers with the knowledge, skills and the right mindset to face the challenges in the market. Through consumer education, consumers would learn how to better manage their consumption and their expenditure patterns. Consumer education would emphasize on practical steps and measures that consumer could do to reduce expenses. Example of practical measures would include price comparisons, changing from branded to generic products, consuming more fruits and vegetables rather than processed food and planning your purchases when one goes shopping.

Another important component of consumer education would be personal financial management. The purpose of financial education would be to empower consumer in their management of cash, savings and investment and in managing their debts. 

  1. A Healthy and Safe Environment. The environment - land, water, atmosphere/air, minerals, plant and animal life - plays a tremendous role on the well being of social communities and hence affects us all. A healthy life that is supported by clean air and water, safe living areas with good sanitary conditions, sufficient and healthy foods is everyone’s right. When the environment becomes degraded and polluted, it affects all either in the short or long run regardless of our social and economic status. We all strive for an improved quality of life, significant reduction of environmental risks and ecological scarcities. Our children are also entitled to better opportunities and healthy and happy lives. As such, the need for economic development, social justice and a healthy, sustainable environment cannot be taken for granted.

 

 

  1. Rawatan canggih berupaya panjangkan usia pesakit kanser
  2. mySalam to cover critical illnesses from Jan 1
  3. Usaha memanfaatkan herba kita
  4. Wang simpanan lesap ditipu parcel scam
  5. Deadly poachers still at large in Sabah
  6. Waktu Bekerja Fleksi untuk penjawat awam mulai 1 Mac
  7. Water theft discovered
  8. Kerajaan ambil alih konsesi lebuh raya secara berperingkat - Azmin
  9. Commuters: MRT stations still in need of better security
  10. Ministry calls on WHO to look into drug pricing

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