Gunakan kuasa pengguna
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Disiarkan pada: November 30, 2021 @ 8:13am
Kajang: Pengguna dinasihat menggunakan kuasa mereka termasuk membuat perbandingan harga serta membuat pilihan premis yang meletakkan tanda harga jelas dengan menawarkan harga dan perkhidmatan berpatutan.
Pengarah Penguatkuasa Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna (KPDNHEP), Azman Adam berkata, kuasa pengguna adalah langkah pencegahan terbaik sebelum pengguna terkeliru atau dimanipulasi oleh peniaga yang tidak bertanggungjawab.
Menurutnya, pihaknya mengambil maklum berhubung isu kenaikan harga barang yang dilaporkan di media arus perdana dan media sosial.
"KPDNHEP sentiasa melakukan penguatkuasaan serta pemeriksaan untuk menangani isu kenaikan harga barang yang dilaporkan melalui pelbagai pendekatan berterusan dan agresif antaranya melalui pelaksanaan
Ops Menu di seluruh Negara.
"Pelaksanaan Ops Menu ini adalah khusus bertujuan bagi memantau dan menangani isu harga makanan bermasak mulai 6 November 2021 yang lalu," katanya pada sidang media selepas Ops Menu di beberapa premis restoran ikan bakar di Bangi, di sini, malam tadi.
Azman berkata, dalam Ops ini setakat petang semalam, sebanyak 3,770 pemeriksaan dilakukan dan daripada jumlah itu, sebanyak 27 tindakan kes diambil ke atas peniaga yang melakukan kesalahan.
"Kementerian juga akan terus melaksanakan sesi libat urus bersama Kementerian Pertanian dan Industri Makanan (Mafi) serta agensi di bawahnya serta pemain industri berkaitan untuk mencari kaedah terbaik bagi menyekat kenaikan harga secara mendadak di pasaran.
Baik saya saja jadi penasihat pengguna kepada PM, kata Marimuthu
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November 29, 2021 10:19 PM
PETALING JAYA: Berdepan dengan lambakan aduan rakyat mengenai kenaikan harga barang keperluan sejak beberapa bulan kebelakangan ini, Presiden Persekutuan Persatuan-Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA) N Marimuthu menawarkan dirinya menjadi “penasihat hal ehwal pengguna” kepada Perdana Menteri.
Beliau berkata, memandangkan Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna (KPDNHEP) gagal menurunkan harga barang seperti dijanjikan, Perdana Menteri Ismail Sabri Yaakob mungkin perlu menambah satu lagi penasihat peribadi, walaupun mempunyai kementerian bagi setiap kategori.
Marimuthu berjanji melakukan tugas itu untuk upah lebih rendah daripada RM55,000 yang dibayar kepada penasihat-penasihat Ismail Sabri yang sedia ada.
“FOMCA tidak putus-putus menerima aduan rakyat mengenai lonjakan harga barang dan kerajaan gagal menyemak trend ini. Mereka tidak faham kita tiada kuasa untuk mengawal peniaga.
“Banyak lagi perlu dilakukan oleh kementerian, bukan sekadar berkata-kata saja. Saya nasihatkan menteri pergi sendiri ke pasar untuk melihat keadaannya. Saya rasa dia kini sibuk di Sarawak untuk pilihan raya akan datang,” katanya kepada FMT.
Beliau tidak menyebut nama menteri tersebut Alexander Nantha Linggi yang berasal dari Sarawak.
Marimuthu, yang juga Presiden Pengguna Antarabangsa berkata, sepatutnya tiada masalah untuk Perdana Menteri melantik seorang lagi penasihat memandangkan beliau seperti tidak kisah melantik penasihat bagi portfolio yang sudah mempunyai menteri dan timbalan menteri.
“Kerajaan menanggung RM55,000 untuk setiap penasihat, ini bukan jumlah yang sedikit. Saya boleh melakukan tugas sama dengan bayaran suku daripada itu untuk menasihati Perdana Menteri tentang bagaimana mengawal dan menurunkan harga bagi membantu rakyat,” katanya.
Read more: Baik saya saja jadi penasihat pengguna kepada PM, kata Marimuthu
Fomca chief offers to be ‘consumer adviser’ for much less than RM55,000
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November 29, 2021 7:36 PM
PETALING JAYA: Hit by an avalanche of complaints from the people on rising prices of essentials over the last few months, Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations president N Marimuthu has offered himself to be the prime minister’s “consumer adviser”.
He said since the domestic trade and consumer affairs ministry has failed miserably to bring down the prices as promised, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob may need to add one more to his growing number of personal advisers despite having a ministry for each of the categories.
Marimuthu promised to do the job for much less than the RM55,000 paid to Ismail’s many advisers.
“Fomca has been receiving non-stop complaints from the rakyat on how prices have skyrocketed with the government failing to check this trend. They don’t understand we don’t have the power to check the traders.
“The ministry should do much, much more than pay mere lip service. I advise the minister to go to the markets personally and see for himself. I guess he is now busy in Sarawak for the upcoming elections where I understand he is a key player,” he told FMT.
He did not name the minister, Alexander Nantha Linggi, who hails from Sarawak.
Marimuthu, who is also the Consumer International president, said since the prime minister seemed to have no qualms about appointing advisers for portfolios that already have ministers and deputy ministers which is costing taxpayers huge amounts of money, “one more won’t hurt”.
“The current advisers cost the government about RM55,000 each and that is a lot of money. I can do the job for a quarter of that amount to advise the prime minister on how to check and bring down the prices to help the rakyat,” he said.
Read more: Fomca chief offers to be ‘consumer adviser’ for much less than RM55,000
Persatuan pengguna nafi 'lesu'
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November 28, 2021 @ 4:34pm
KUALA LUMPUR: Persatuan pengguna di negara ini menegaskan belum menyerah kalah dalam perjuangan mereka, meskipun pengguna semakin dibebani isu seperti kenaikan harga barang tanpa penyelesaian tuntas hingga kini.
Setiausaha Persatuan Pengguna Kedah (CAKE), Mohamad Yusrizal Yusoff, berkata pihaknya tidak pernah 'lesu' meneruskan usaha mereka demi kepentingan rakyat walaupun memikul tanggungjawab itu secara tanpa gaji.
Beliau berkata, kewujudan CAKE serta persatuan pengguna lain bukan untuk 'menghiasi' dada akhbar semata-mata, sebaliknya inisiatif demi kebajikan dan kesejahteraan rakyat.
Malah, katanya, CAKE sudah banyak kali membongkarkan isu kenaikan harga barang untuk perhatian pihak berkuasa supaya tindakan dapat diambil.
"Kami melakukan pemantauan harga dan bukan sekadar membuat kenyataan media saja. Kami melakukan semua usaha ini secara sukarela tanpa gaji.
"Selain itu, kami juga ada membuat memorandum resolusi yang kemudian dihantar kepada kerajaan bagi membantu mengekang kenaikan harga barang.
"Itu antara tindakan diusahakan sebagai pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) pengguna sebab kami tiada kuasa," katanya kepada BH.
Sehubungan itu, Mohamad Yusrizal mengesyorkan supaya lebih banyak NGO pengguna peringkat negeri dibabitkan sama dalam sebarang mesyuarat tindakan berkaitan, terutama pada peringkat pusat.
Beliau mendakwa, NGO peringkat negeri hanya terbabit dalam mesyuarat pengguna negeri bawah Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna (KPDNHEP), namun tidak 'diundang' ke mesyuarat pelan tindakan peringkat pusat.
Produce more food, stop giving APs, says activist
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November 27, 2021 9:30 AM
PETALING JAYA: A consumer activist has called for an increase in the local production of food and an end to the approval of special permits (AP) for the import of food items.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) president Marimuthu Nadason told FMT he was concerned over the rising prices of imported food and the country’s heavy dependence on food from other countries.
“It is impossible for us to control the price of food produced overseas,” he said.
He questioned the need to issue APs for food imports and said the practice had put local producers at a disadvantage because they were forced to lower their prices to compete in the free market.
APs are issued for mangoes, coconuts, papayas, some vegetables, meat and nine different types of seafood.
Marimuthu said Malaysia had ample amount of land to cultivate to increase food production, noting that 103,563 hectares in Peninsula Malaysia and Labuan had been identified as idle.
Last year the country imported RM55.4 billion worth of food, up from RM51.46 billion in 2019. So far, the figure for 2021 is RM36.09 billion.
Yesterday, the statistics department announced an increase in the consumer price index by 2.9% year-on-year to 123.7 in October 2021 against 120.2 in the same month last year.
It attributed this to rising fuel prices and the discontinuation of electricity discounts in September 2021.
Read more: Produce more food, stop giving APs, says activist
More young people will go bankrupt when aid stops, warns group
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November 24, 2021 1:35 PM
PETALING JAYA: Many Malaysians aged 30 to 45 are expected to go bankrupt by next year when most government aid packages end, the Malaysian Association of Borrowers and Consumers Solution said.
The association’s president, Rosland Mohd Arif, said this will happen when bank moratoriums, EPF withdrawals and i-Sinar packages come to an end.
“We have received bankruptcy calls from all over the country. If there are 30 calls a day, that’s 900 a month and 10,800 a year,” he was quoted as saying in an Utusan Malaysia report.
Rosland said he had also received reports from borrowers who claimed they were threatened by loan sharks who charged interest rates as high as 6% a month.
He urged the government to step in and help those with financial difficulties and others facing bankruptcy before they are forced to look to loan sharks for help.
“We are willing to work with the government in resolving these bankruptcy and debt issues by acting as consultants so that they are not chased by the bank or other parties,” he said.
Source: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/11/24/more-young-people-will-go-bankrupt-when-aid-packages-end-warns-group/
KPDNHEP optimises digital platforms following shift in consumer trends
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November 23, 2021 @ 3:37pm
KUALA LUMPUR: The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has turned to digital platforms in its enforcement and advocacy efforts, following a shift in consumer trends, the Dewan Rakyat heard today.
Its Deputy Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid said consumer behaviour has seen a significant change where more online purchases made and selected in favour of physical shopping following restrictions in movements due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the ministry aimed at educating consumers in making wise decisions on purchases and exercise their rights by providing easy access to lodge complaints like unfair pricing through Ez ADU and the e-aduan portal, as well as Price Catcher app.
He said the Ez ADU app, which allows the public to lodge complaints was being upgraded in keeping up with consumer needs and technology, citing the recent tyre price hike.
"Some consumers complained of the difference in prices of tyres pre-MCO (Movement Control Order) and post-MCO (through the app).
"Our officers have taken action and the price of tyres has seen a reduction the week after the report was lodged," he said in reply to a supplementary question from Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin (PH-Hang Tuah Jaya).
Meanwhile the Price Catcher app helps consumers in making price comparisons according to the types of items based on their locations.
"The Price Catcher app, which has so far been downloaded by 32,000 users, helps consumers to plan their purchase and be more alert on price changes.
"Meanwhile, the MySale Tracker app contains information on the latest sales at business premises nearby," he said in reply to a question from Datuk Robert Lawson Chuat (GPS-PBB-Betong).
Read more: KPDNHEP optimises digital platforms following shift in consumer trends
Ambil langkah tangani kenaikan harga sayur: CAP
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November 23, 2021 @ 11:01am
Georgetown: Persatuan Pengguna Pulau Pinang (CAP) menggesa Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna (KPDNHEP) serta Lembaga Pemasaran Pertanian Persekutuan (FAMA) mengambil langkah segera menangani kenaikan harga sayur-sayuran yang meningkat sehingga 200 peratus sejak dua minggu lalu.
Ia susulan aduan yang diterima CAP daripada peruncit mengenai kenaikan harga barangan berkenaan.
Presidennya Mohideen Abdul Kader berkata, beberapa peruncit mengadu bahawa pengedar dan pemborong sudah memberi amaran bahawa harga sayur-sayuran lain mungkin akan naik dalam beberapa minggu akan datang.
Katanya, sayuran itu membabitkan kubis bunga daripada harga RM7 kepada RM16 sekilogram, sawi pendek RM3 kepada RM9, brokoli RM8 kepada RM20 dan sawi RM5 kepada RM8.
"Turut mengalami kenaikan ialah kacang buncis dari harga RM8 kepada RM15 sekilogram, kubis RM4 kepada RM6, cili merah RM13 kepada RM19 dan cili hijau RM10 kepada RM14.
"Sehubungan itu, CAP menyeru Bahagian Penguatkuasa KPDNHEP supaya menyiasat kenaikan harga berkenaan memandangkan ia akan memberi kesan kepada golongan berpendapatan rendah," katanya menerusi kenyataan di sini, hari ini.
Menurut Mohideen lagi, tindakan tegas perlu diambil terhadap peniaga yang menaikkan harga secara berlebihan serta melanggar Akta Anti-Pencatutan 2010.
"CAP juga berulang kali menyeru supaya FAMA mengawal pemasaran dan pengedaran sayur-sayuran di negara ini tetapi seruan kami tidak didengari," katanya lagi.
Sumber: https://www.hmetro.com.my/mutakhir/2021/11/780485/ambil-langkah-tangani-kenaikan-harga-sayur-cap
Fomca ajak rakyat Malaysia kurangkan pengambilan gula
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17 November 2021
SHAH ALAM - Gabungan Persatuan-persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (Fomca) mengajak rakyat Malaysia untuk mengurangkan pengambilan gula sempena Hari Diabetes Sedunia yang disambut pada 14 November setiap tahun.
Tema sambutan Hari Diabetes Sedunia pada tahun ini ialah 'Akses Kepada Penjagaan Diabetes: Jika Bukan Sekarang, Bila Lagi?'
Timbalan Setiausaha Agung Fomca, Nur Asyikin Aminuddin berkata, tanggungjawab terhadap penjagaan diabetes bukan sahaja bergantung kepada pihak hospital tetapi diri sendiri.
Menurutnya, hasil tinjauan pihak Kesihatan & Morbiditi Kebangsaan (NHMS) pada tahun 2019 mendapati satu daripada lima orang yang berumur 18 tahun ke atas menghidap diabetes.
Lebih mengejutkan, katanya, apabila hampir separuh daripada responden tersebut tidak menyedari bahawa mereka menghidap penyakit itu.
“Perkara ini perlu dipandang serius oleh semua lapisan masyarakat kerana tidak mustahil jika kita juga penghidap penyakit diabetes dalam diam,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan pada Selasa.
Nur Asyikin berkata, rakyat Malaysia juga perlu sama-sama bertanggungjawab menjaga aspek-aspek keselamatan makanan di sepanjang rantaian makanan baik pihak penternak, petani, pengilang, pengimport, pengedar, peruncit, peniaga restoran, gerai makanan dan pengguna supaya kita semua boleh menikmati makanan yang sihat dan selamat.
“Makanan yang sihat dan selamat saling berkaitan dengan kesihatan diri manusia,” ujarnya.
Artikel Penuh : https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/172957/Fomca-ajak-rakyat-Malaysia-kurangkan-pengambilan-gula
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Allow those eligible to walk in for booster shots, says Fomca
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November 12, 2021 @ 9:10am
COVID-19 booster shots should be made available on a walk-in basis for eligible groups as the country enters the endemic phase and international borders are set to reopen to foreign travellers.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason said such an option should be offered alongside the MySejahtera appointments for frontliners, those with comorbidities and individuals above 40 years' old.
"Officers should be stationed at facilities where the shots are being administered, so that those who do not fall under these categories are denied entry, or if their three-or six-month immunity (coverage) after second Sinovac or Pfizer shots (respectively) have yet to lapse."
"When people are rejected, they must also be given an explanation in the interest of accountability," he told the New Straits Times.
He said too many people had died due to a dearth in vaccines and slow distribution of jabs, and a similar situation could happen due to the issues with booster shots.
This, he said, was especially crucial for the 9.3 million Sinovac recipients, as studies indicated that the immunity coverage for those who received the vaccine waned significantly after three months.
"There needs to be transparency on who is getting the shots, their ages and so on, as there have been anecdotal reports that those in their 30s who appear healthy are getting booster shots."
Read more: Allow those eligible to walk in for booster shots, says Fomca
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