‘Make testing kits more affordable’
- Details
Wednesday, 25 Aug 2021
PETALING JAYA: Covid-19 self-test kits should be made more affordable with the government subsidising the cost or giving them free to those from low-income families, say consumer and health groups.
The government’s efforts of encouraging the public to self-test for Covid-19 is lauded by consumer groups, but the self-test kits should cost less.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason said the government should subsidise the cost of the self-tests kit as not everyone can afford them.
“Imagine a family of five, when they need to undergo the test, they need to fork out almost RM100 for everyone in the family.
"The government should do everything possible to help the rakyat, including giving subsidies for the kits, or even giving them free to the underprivileged,” Dr Marimuthu said.
He suggests that the home testing kits be sold for as low as RM10.
Currently, there are 12 self-test kits that are approved by the Malaysian Device Authority (MDA) in the market, costing between RM28 and RM41.
In Singapore, according to a report by The Straits Times, the cost of self-test kits ranges from S$10 (RM31) to S$13 (RM40), while in South Korea, the self-test kits, which are available for purchase through online shopping platforms, cost as low as 9,000 won (RM32).
Wrong to amend development plans after signing S&P, rules court
- Details
August 25, 2021 7:30 AM
JOHOR BAHRU: Amending development plans after the sale and purchase agreement is signed is a breach of the contract, the High Court has ruled in a class action brought against a developer by 145 buyers of luxury condominium units here.
In its decision handed out on Monday, the court agreed with the purchasers of condominium units at Princess Cove that the developer ought to have obtained their consent before amending the original plan of Phase 1 in the S&P into Phase 1a and 1b.
Under Phase 1, there were supposed to be seven blocks together with a shopping mall. However, after the amendment, only three residential blocks were completed first without the others as stated in the S&P.
The court also concurred with the plaintiffs that the handing over of vacant possession in October 2017, claiming the certificate of completion and compliance (fitness for occupation) was obtained for Phase 1a, was in breach of the S&P and, therefore, the developer has to pay late delivery charges.
It also ruled that the 13 months’ maintenance charges paid before the actual completion by the buyers as per the S&P in November 2018 have to be returned.
Judicial commissioner Evrol Mariette Peters, in delivering her decision, agreed with the buyers that the developer, R&F Development Sdn Bhd, had deprived them of late delivery penalty by amending the original development plan.
According to the counsel for the purchasers, NG Vinod, his firm will now proceed with the filing of the assessment for damages with the High Court soon, adding that the claims could total about RM10 million.
Read more: Wrong to amend development plans after signing S&P, rules court
CAP: Don't be duped by fake meat
- Details
August 24, 2021 @ 2:05pm
GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has urged authorities to prohibit the sale of fake meat in view of the potential harm related to its consumption.
According to CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader, fake meat may seem like a dream come true for meat-conscious eaters, but it falls short of the hype.
"It is a processed products that is nutritionally inferior to real meat. The idea of eating less meat is a worthy one, but swapping it out for plant-based alternatives is not healthy as perceived.
"Consumers should not be duped into it," he said today.
Mohideen said, lately, Malaysians were being gobbled up by a meaty scandal.
He said many were rightfully livid, demanding justice be meted out to the unethical individuals who had been feeding Malaysians fake Halal meat that is not Halal or may have been mixed with diseased kangaroo and horse meat.
Mohideen said, lately, Malaysians were being gobbled up by a meaty scandal.
He said many were rightfully livid, demanding justice be meted out to the unethical individuals who had been feeding Malaysians fake Halal meat that is not Halal or may have been mixed with diseased kangaroo and horse meat.
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/08/720792/cap-dont-be-duped-fake-meat
Many ways to raise purchasing power
- Details
Tuesday, 24 Aug 2021
PETALING JAYA: Focus on job creation, ease restrictions on economic activities, and extend a lifeline to consumers and businesses to increase the purchasing power of the people, stakeholders suggest.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief executive officer Dr T. Saravanan said that the current inflation rate is impacting the purchasing power of the people.
He added that many measures must be carried out to increase this purchasing power.
This includes reviving the economy with stricter standard operating procedures (SOP) especially at factories and big companies, he said, adding that this will lead to job opportunities for those who are unemployed.
“Purchasing power depends on real income. With more people in employment, more money is spent on products and services,” he said, adding that the government must also bring in more foreign direct investments (FDI) into the country and give these firms more tax and trade incentives to invest in Malaysia.
Initiatives such as income tax exemptions, price control of essential items, and proper enforcement by the relevant ministries will also lead to an increase in the purchasing power of the people, he said.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that to reduce the long-term negative impact on the economy, the government will focus its efforts in achieving two main objectives, which are to raise the purchasing power of citizens and to return the private sector to its role as the country’s main driver of economic growth.
Fake oximeters: Oxygen levels detected in a pencil
- Details
Sunday, 22 Aug 2021
WITH the heightened interest in oximeters, some irresponsible sellers have duped consumers into buying fake devices.
The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) tells Sunday Star that it has received over 15 complaints about fake oximeters since last month.
“In one case, a consumer used an oximeter on a pencil and it ‘detected’ oxygen levels.
“I found this to be ridiculous and unscrupulous on the part of the seller,” says Fomca deputy secretary-general Nur Asyikin Aminuddin.
She says such dubious devices are usually very cheap, costing around RM20.
“Most complainants bought the devices through social media or online marketplaces.
“We asked these consumers to lodge reports with the authorities like the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry for action to be taken against the errant sellers,” Nur Asyikin says.
As the demand for Covid-19 home self-test kits is high, she urges the government to bring down the prices of such products – they currently cost between RM30 and RM40 per set.
“As people are losing jobs and struggling to make ends meet, the government must help consumers in this small but important way.
“It is becoming a necessity now for every home to have such kits so that they can do regular self-checks,” she says, adding that the public could curb the spread of Covid-19 by doing self-tests, especially parents have to who go out and have young children at home.
She points out that the demand for items like self-test kits, thermometers and oximeters is high because of the spike in sporadic cases.
“This means we don’t necessarily have to be a close contact of a positive patient to get infected.
Read more: Fake oximeters: Oxygen levels detected in a pencil
Expert calls for policy shift to make houses affordable
- Details
August 19, 2021 7:30 AM
PETALING JAYA: A researcher has described Malaysia’s housing policy as something that is stuck in an “identity crisis” from which it can emerge if policymakers decide whether to view a house as an asset or a necessity.
Lillian Wee of the Research for Social Advancement (Resda) think tank said the government, in giving priority to people who can afford to buy property, was shutting out those who could not or did not want to, thereby creating unequal opportunities.
Not enough attention had been given to the growing rental market, she said, noting that this was one of the issues that had been exacerbated since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“A lot of the government’s policies during and before the pandemic have prioritised home ownership and people who can afford loans or multiple houses,” she said.
“As such, those who cannot afford to take on loans or put down large down payments are left out. These include people who choose to rent for work, mobility or lifestyle reasons. There is a lack of assistance for these people to lease affordable homes and, during the pandemic little has been done to help them with their payments.”
Wee said housing must be viewed as essential and should therefore be made more affordable and accessible to those who need them.
“Malaysia is urbanising rapidly, with people moving from suburban and rural areas to places like Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Penang and Johor. However, these are the areas where housing prices are the highest and housing inequality is at its worst.
“There is a problem if someone from the M40 cannot afford to buy or rent a house in Kuala Lumpur, since it’s not just people from the T20 group that work there.”
She said this was typified by the building of 14,094 low-cost homes last year, well short of the National Affordable Housing Council’s target of 100,000 units annually.
“Instead, we are seeing a surge in homes that cost more than RM600,000, out of reach for most of the people the government should be looking to provide for.”
Read more: Expert calls for policy shift to make houses affordable
Houses at half-price, anyone?
- Details
August 18, 2021 7:30 AM
PETALING JAYA: Everyone loves a sale, particularly if the property is going at half price.
But not earlier buyers, or investors who had bought to flip. These two groups would be unhappy. Maybe even furious.
Headlines about property have been like this, of late: Is it time to buy? Is it ‘still’ a safe investment? Is there light at the end of the tunnel?
There is a missing question: “Will prices fall further?”
Much depends on the location, type of property and developers’ track record, said Johor-based KGV International Property Consultants.
It also depends if one is buying into an overhang project – completed units which remain unsold after they have been certified fit for occupation.
Executive director Samuel Tan said the percentage of discount for overhang units is higher.
When Chinese developer Country Garden Pacificview Sdn Bhd advertised its Danga Bay, Johor Bahru, project at 50% discount for about six weeks starting in early June, earlier buyers were angry. New buyers were delighted.
A Singaporean buyer, Hassan (not his real name), who bought an apartment unit in 2015 for RM1.82 million, was shocked and upset. Overnight, his unit was worth about RM900,000.
“The drop is significant. I can accept that property prices do fall, and have fallen because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Even then, I was shocked to discover that it was by so much, as though a calamity had occurred,” he said. It was his holiday home.
A government-linked developer also halved prices for some of its remaining units located near the National Science Centre in Bukit Kiara, Kuala Lumpur. The units were originally priced at about RM4.5 million each. It is not clear when these units were sold.
Each of these two cases involved unsold completed units. Country Garden Pacificview cited “current market conditions” and “changing requirements of the situation”.
Fomca terima aduan susu formula beri kesan cirit-birit berdarah
- Details
17 Ogos 2021
SHAH ALAM - Gabungan Persatuan-persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (Fomca) menerima beberapa aduan berhubung keselamatan susu formula bayi dan kanak-kanak yang didakwa mempunyai kesan sampingan terhadap beberapa kes cirit-birit termasuk cirit-birit berdarah.
Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Fomca, Dr Saravanan Thambirajah berkata, Fomca memberi amaran kepada Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) dan juga syarikat susu formula untuk memeriksa sebarang insiden yang berkaitan dengan keselamatan dan juga menarik balik produk tersebut sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga.
Menurutnya, Fomca khuatir terhadap keselamatan semua jenama susu formula dan pihak KKM bertanggungjawab melakukan ujian makmal dan memeriksa bahan yang boleh membahayakan nyawa.
“Kebanyakan kes aduan berlaku ketika ibu bapa menukar susu berdasarkan umur dan pertumbuhan kanak-kanak menyedari anak-anak mereka mengalami kes cirit-birit yang teruk selepas minum susu tersebut.
“Justeru, Fomca menasihati ibu bapa supaya memantau perubahan pergerakan bayi mereka sejurus selepas menukar susu formula.
"Satu dekad lalu terdapat insiden susu formula yang dicemari melamin berbahaya yang terjual di pasaran di mana pemerintah perlu campur tangan untuk menyekat pengimportan susu formula tersebut,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan pada Selasa.
Mengulas lanjut, Saravanan berkata, pengguna disarankan untuk membuat kajian dan membaca pengalaman serta reaksi yang dikongsikan oleh ibu bapa yang sudah melalui pengalaman buruk dengan jenama susu formula terbabit.
Read more: Fomca terima aduan susu formula beri kesan cirit-birit berdarah
Pertimbang kelonggaran untuk penerima satu dos vaksin
- Details
Ogos 17, 2021 @ 12:54pm
Kuala Lumpur: Kerajaan diminta untuk mempertimbangkan kebenaran untuk individu yang sudah disuntik sekurang-kurangnya sekali untuk menikmati kemudahan pembukaan sektor ekonomi.
Timbalan Presiden Gabungan Persatuan-Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (Fomca) Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman berkata, ia membolehkan orang ramai yang belum lengkap dos vaksin turut merancakkan semula ekonomi.
Katanya, kelonggaran itu juga boleh kembali memberikan kelegaan kepada peniaga sektor bukan perkhidmatan perlu yang baru dibenarkan beroperasi semalam.
"Kebanyakan rakyat sudah terima sekurang-kurangnya satu dos dan ia mungkin boleh diberi kelonggaran untuk mereka menikmati pembukaan sektor ekonomi yang diumumkan kerajaan beberapa hari lalu.
"Jika ia hanya tertumpu kepada pengguna yang lengkap dua dos vaksin ia mungkin sedikit memperlahankan pembukaan semula sektor ekonomi," katanya ketika dihubungi.
Beliau berkata, pengguna juga diminta untuk tampil mendaftar untuk suntikan vaksin kerana ia akan memudahkan urusan harian selain merancakkan semula ekonomi.
Menurutnya, kebanyakan sektor kini sudah mengenakan syarat mereka yang lengkap dua dos vaksin saja dibenarkan untuk menikmati sektor ekonomi dengan skop lebih luas.
"Syarat dikenakan kerajaan untuk mereka yang sudah lengkap dua dos vaksin adalah untuk memastikan risiko penularan Covid-19 dapat dikurangkan.
Read more: Pertimbang kelonggaran untuk penerima satu dos vaksin
LETTER | Economic impact of Covid-19 on consumers
- Details
16 Aug 2021, 12:20 pm
LETTER | The relationship between worker well-being and consumer well-being is certainly strongly interconnected. Unless the consumer has employment, he would not have the income to purchase the needs for himself and his family.
Thus, a loss of job or loss of income would have a devastating impact on the welfare of consumers. The Covid-19 pandemic has indeed had a severe negative impact on workers and consumers in Malaysia.
Unemployment and underemployment have increased. Around 3.4 million people are unemployed or underemployed, which is 19.8 percent of the workforce.
Average salaries fell by nine percent and median salaries fell by 15.6 percent. Thus, more than half of salaried employees currently earn less than RM2,062 per month.
Further in a report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 35 percent of the self-employed claimed a drop of income by 90 percent. Further 71 percent of self-employed have cash flows that could only last for one month.
The economic impact on low-income urban families has been particularly harsh.
According to the United Nations Children’ Emergency Fund (Unicef) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report 'Families on edge: Impact of Covid-19 on low income urban families:
- 25 percent of head of households are unemployed (compared to the national level of 5.3 percent);
- 31 percent of head of households faced cuts in working hours during the movement control order ; and,
- Females faced a greater challenge - 32 percent of female households are unemployed.
- In another study by UNICEF on unemployment among urban poor, it was found that unemployment had increased from seven percent in September to 15 percent in December 2020, with one in three adults in these households being without a job.
Read more: LETTER | Economic impact of Covid-19 on consumers
Page 39 of 155