Rather than a trendy acronymn, ESG is a moral stress test of how a nation treats its people and its future, and right now, Malaysia is in danger of failing that test where it hurts most.

We expound the importance of the environment, social and governance (ESG) framework and draft strategic plans to impress investors.

But the proof of ESG is not on powerpoint slides. It is on our streets, at schools, in kampungs and low-cost flats, where people get left behind or are never counted.

In that context, applying ESG scrutiny to race relations, education, housing, and jobs is just our “ESG agenda”, not reform.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 29 — From stamp books and post office savings to instant QR payments, Malaysians’ relationship with money has shifted dramatically — and not necessarily for the better.

That is the candid view of Chief Statistician Datuk Seri Mohd Uzir Mahidin, who said the convenience of digital payments may be quietly eroding the discipline that once defined how Malaysians saved.

Speaking alongside the release of the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) 2022 by the Department of Statistics Malaysia, Uzir reflected on how earlier generations were conditioned to save from a young age — often through simple but consistent habits.

“When we were in school, there was already a concept of saving. Teachers would bring stamp books, and if we didn’t spend our money, we would paste the stamps and save. At the time, there weren’t many banks around.

The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy says the reduction will have direct consequences across hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities nationwide.

PETALING JAYA: The Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy has slammed the proposed RM3.06 billion cut to the health ministry’s budget, warning that it would undermine the public healthcare system and put patients and frontline workers at risk.

Its CEO, Azrul Khalib, said the reduction would have direct consequences across hospital wards, operating theatres, emergency departments, clinics, pharmacies, laboratories, and on patients waiting for treatment.

“The cost of this cut will be paid in delayed procedures, longer waiting lists, medicine shortages, deteriorating facilities, exhausted healthcare workers, avoidable complications, and preventable deaths,” he said in a statement today.

Azrul said the public healthcare system was already operating under severe pressure, with hospitals and clinics only receiving the minimum resources needed to function safely and effectively.

Malaysians paying twice for poor waste management, says researcher

Keeren Sundara Rajoo says solid waste management and public cleansing account for 40% to 80% of local authority expenditure in Malaysia.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are unknowingly paying twice for poor waste management through public spending and hidden costs such as pollution and health risks, a researcher says.

Keeren Sundara Rajoo of Universiti Putra Malaysia Sarawak said that solid waste management and public cleansing account for between 40% and 80% of local authority expenditure in Malaysia, the Borneo Post reported.

“People may not see a separate charge for waste, but they are already paying for it through local authority spending,” he was quoted as saying.

The fines were imposed after the insurers failed to properly update and check their sanctions screening systems.

PETALING JAYA: Bank Negara Malaysia has imposed a total of RM1.56 million in penalties on two Zurich insurance companies for failing to follow rules on financial sanctions screening.

BNM said Zurich General Insurance Malaysia Bhd (ZGIMB) was fined RM1.04 million, while Zurich General Takaful Malaysia Bhd (ZGTMB) was penalised RM520,000 for non-compliance detected on Jan 19.

In a statement today, it said both companies failed to update their sanctions database after the publication of a new sanctions local list, and did not properly screen all customers.

They failed to fully check and confirm whether flagged customers were true matches, it said.

FOMCA menyambut baik dan menyokong penuh pelaksanaan Dasar Pengguna Negara 2.0 (DPN 2.0) oleh Kerajaan melalui Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Kos Sara Hidup (KPDN) sebagai satu langkah strategik yang amat diperlukan dalam menghadapi realiti baharu ekonomi digital.

Hari ini, landskap kepenggunaan telah berubah sepenuhnya. Jika sebelum ini pengguna beroperasi dalam persekitaran kedai fizikal dan pusat beli-belah, kini pengguna berinteraksi dalam ekosistem digital yang melibatkan platform dalam talian, kecerdasan buatan (AI), algoritma dan rangkaian global tanpa sempadan.

Bersama perubahan ini, risiko utama juga telah berubah daripada isu harga dan kualiti asas kepada cabaran baharu seperti manipulasi pasaran, eksploitasi data, penipuan digital dan scam.

FOMCA welcomes and fully supports the Government’s implementation of the National Consumer Policy 2.0 (DPN 2.0) through the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living as a critical and forward-looking step in addressing the realities of today’s digital economy.

The consumer landscape has fundamentally transformed. Where consumers once operated within physical retail environments, they are now engaging within a digital ecosystem driven by online platforms, artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms and borderless global networks. Alongside this shift, the nature of risks has also evolved from basic concerns of price and product quality to more complex challenges such as market manipulation, data exploitation, digital fraud and scams.

PETALING JAYA: Calls to delay social media access for children until they reach 16 are rising, with experts and parents warning of growing risks from cyberbullying, grooming and harmful content.
The proposed policy, expected to mirror Australia’s “delay not ban” model, would place existing accounts belonging to those under 16 under parental supervision rather than deleting them completely.

Unicef Malaysia has warned that children routinely encounter bullying, grooming and sexual exploitation online, while official figures point to a rising scale of harm.

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PETALING JAYA: There are many ways to reduce energy consumption, and the work-from-home (WFH) arrangement is hardly among the more effective ones, according to experts.

Instead, transport consultant Wan Agyl Wan Hassan and consumerism activist Marimuthu Nadason argue, a wider shift in how Malaysians consume power has to happen to make a real difference.

About 200,000 civil servants began to work from home on April 15 under a new initiative by the government to conserve energy.That accounts for about 15% of the total workforce in the civil service, a proportion many believe is insufficient to make a meaningful difference.

KUALA LUMPUR, April 17 (Bernama) -- The public is advised to adopt simple and practical energy-saving measures in light of the global energy uncertainty due to the ongoing West Asia crisis.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) president Prof Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason said that using energy more wisely can help manage costs, enhance household resilience, and contribute to the country's energy security.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's growing microplastics crisis is largely self-inflicted, driven by domestic waste, weak recycling practices and everyday plastic use, said experts.

Universiti Sains Malaysia marine scientist Professor Datuk Dr Aileen Tan said the issue was no longer a future risk, but an ongoing environmental crisis affecting marine ecosystems and seafood.

Persatuan Pendidikan dan Penyelidikan untuk Pengguna Malaysia (ERA Consumer) mengalu- alukan kenyataan Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) mengisytiharkan dividen sebanyak 6.15% untuk kedua-dua simpanan Konvensional dan Shariah bagi tahun 2025. Walaupun kadar dividen susut 0.15% berbanding dengan tahun sebelumnya, namun pulangan ini adalah antara yang terbaik dalam tempuh 5 tahun terakhir. Walaupun dalam keadaan suasana ekonomi yang tidak begitu stabil KWSP telah memberi pulangan yang baik.Persatuan Pendidikan dan Penyelidikan untuk Pengguna Malaysia (ERA Consumer) mengalu- alukan kenyataan Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) mengisytiharkan dividen sebanyak 6.15% untuk kedua-dua simpanan Konvensional dan Shariah bagi tahun 2025. Walaupun kadar dividen susut 0.15% berbanding dengan tahun sebelumnya, namun pulangan ini adalah antara yang terbaik dalam tempuh 5 tahun terakhir. Walaupun dalam keadaan suasana ekonomi yang tidak begitu stabil KWSP telah memberi pulangan yang baik.

Sejajar dengan dasar KWSP mewujudkan dana persaraan jangka panjang, adalah penting untuk para pencarum memastikan dana mereka mencukupi di hari tua nanti.

Pengalaman pahit semasa seluruh dunia terkesan akibat pandemik Covid 19 telah memberi pengajaran kepada ramai pencarum tentang kepentingan menabung. Ramai yang terpaksa diberhentikan kerja atau tidak dapat bekerja seperti biasa kerana Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan (PKP) yang dikuatkuasakan oleh kerajaan untuk mengawal penularan penyakit berjangkit ini.

PETALING JAYA: Tighter rules barring the use of another person’s MyKad to buy subsidised fuel could help prevent leakages, but experts caution that such a policy must account for situations like elderly users relying on family members to refuel their vehicles.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief executive officer Dr Saravanan Thambirajah said that the move is a step in the right direction to reduce leakages in the targeted subsidy system.

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In 2022, a certain car brand caught heavy flak for requiring a subscription to activate heated seats in vehicles purchased by customers. Many wondered, “What’s with the need for a ­subscription when the heated seats are already installed in the car?”.

A year later, the car company discontinued the subscription requirement for heated seats ­following the backlash, but that did not spell the end for extra recurring payments to unlock other features.

While these practices have since spread to other players in the automotive industry, they’ve long been a major bugbear for consumers in the broader tech space.

KUALA LUMPUR: Keperluan dan bekalan ubat-ubatan dalam negara kekal stabil sekurang-kurangnya hingga penghujung Jun ini, justeru orang ramai dinasihatkan agar tidak melakukan sebarang pembelian panik untuk simpanan jangka masa panjang.

Ketua Penolong Pengarah Kanan, Cawangan Pengurusan Farmasi Logistik, Bahagian Amalan dan Perkembangan Farmasi Kementerian Kesihatan (�㽶��Ƶ), Muhammad Md Zin, berkata stok ubatan di fasiliti kerajaan juga sentiasa dipantau bagi menjamin bekalan kepada pesakit tidak terjejas.

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KUALA LUMPUR: Ketika banyak pihak bimbang dengan impak konflik di Asia Barat yang belum reda, ramai dalam kalangan rakyat masih kekal tenang dan tidak panik membeli barangan keperluan.

Sebelum ini di media sosial, ada yang mula bersiap sedia menyimpan barangan keperluan untuk menghadapi segala kemungkinan terutama risiko kekurangan stok atau kemungkinan peningkatan harga.

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Kira-kira 2,000 pengusaha bas sekolah berdaftar (van) dijangka terpaksa menaikkan kadar tambang mulai bulan depan susulan tekanan kos bahan api.

Sumber :https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/775623/berita/nasional/aduan-kpdn-percepat-kurangkan-birokrasi-skps-ndash-fomca]]> Featured FOMCA di Pentas Media 2026 FOMCA DI PENTAS MEDIA Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:18:53 +0000 /v1/index.php/fomca-di-pentas-media/fomca-di-pentas-media-2026/2046-m-sian-tenant-successfully-claims-back-rm1-4k-after-learning-agent-fee-isn-t-their-responsibility-weirdkaya /v1/index.php/fomca-di-pentas-media/fomca-di-pentas-media-2026/2046-m-sian-tenant-successfully-claims-back-rm1-4k-after-learning-agent-fee-isn-t-their-responsibility-weirdkaya

M’sian Tenant Successfully Claims Back RM1.4K After Learning Agent Fee Isn’t Their Responsibility | WeirdKaya / https://newswav.com/A2604_bCrSJ5?s=A_9Kcb0LD&language=en]]> Featured FOMCA di Pentas Media 2026 FOMCA DI PENTAS MEDIA Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:16:13 +0000