Dasar perumahan awam 'jerat' penduduk - Kajian
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Dikemaskini: 6:12 PM 15 MAC 23
Dasar perumahan awam Malaysia tidak menyediakan pelan keluar untuk mereka yang tinggal di perumahan sosial, menyebabkan mereka 'terjerat' dalam sistem itu, menurut kajian oleh Institut Penyelidikan Khazanah (KRI).
Laporan yang dilancarkan hari ini mendapati penghuni skim perumahan awam projek perumahan rakyat (PPR) tidak dapat mencari perumahan yang lebih baik atau sesuai di pasaran swasta, walaupun keadaan ekonomi mereka bertambah baik.
Perumahan awam secara umumnya meletakkan syarat isi rumah berpendapatan kurang daripada RM3,000 sebulan.
Bagaimanapun, didapati walaupun ada segelintir penduduk yang berpendapatan lebih daripada itu namun mereka tidak mampu untuk keluar dari perumahan awam.
Penyelidik KRI, yang meninjau lima kompleks perumahan PPR di Kuala Lumpur dan Pulau Pinang, mendapati penduduk terperangkap di perumahan awam, jika mereka mahu kekal tinggal di lokaliti yang sama, kerana mereka tidak mampu untuk menyewa rumah milik swasta di kawasan yang sama.
Ini berdasarkan data yang dikumpul bagi hartanah setanding untuk disewa atau dijual di sekitar perumahan awam.
"Adakah mereka ada pilihan? Institusi penilaian negara buat kajian rumah sewa di keliling PPR - harga sangat mahal. Rumah PPR sewa RM124, the moment nak sewa keluar, RM500 ke RM1000 ke atas. susah untuk keluar dari situ melainkan nak pindah jauh dan ganggu hidup. Nak beli pun susah.
"Harga tidak mampu milik. Nak beli, rumah saiz lebih kecil dari 700 kaki persegi, pilihan terhad...
"Kita nak bila keluar dari rumah awam, nak keadaan lebih baik," kata penyelidik Puteri Marjan Megat Muzafar pada pelancaran laporan itu pagi ini.
FOMCA minta kerajaan pergiat program celik tenaga
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14 Mac 2023 07:43pm
SHAH ALAM- Gabungan Persatuan-Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA) meminta kerajaan mempergiat program celik tenaga kepada pengguna agar dapat memainkan peranan menangani kesan perubahan iklim sekali gus dapat mengurangkan perbelanjaannya terutama melibatkan sektor isi rumah.
Presidennya, Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason berkata, pemerkasaan pengguna untuk celik tenaga penting bagi mengatasi isu perubahan iklim kini.
“Tinjauan Perubahan Iklim Belia Kebangsaan mendapati 92 peratus golongan muda Malaysia mengenal pasti perubahan iklim sebagai krisis dan sembilan daripada 10 belia sudah mengambil tindakan individu untuk menangani isu ini.
“Belia hari ini lebih berhubung dengan dunia global dan dengan itu telah membina kesedaran yang kukuh tentang isu berkaitan perubahan iklim dan kesannya terhadap ekonomi serta kesejahteraan masyarakat.
“Malangnya, pemerkasaan pengguna melalui celik tenaga tidak diberi keutamaan oleh kerajaan,” kata beliau dalam satu kenyataan pada Selasa.
Marimuthu menambah, individu yang mempunyai kesedaran terhadap perkara tersebut mampu menggunakan sesebuah sumber tenaga dengan baik.
“Mereka tahu tahu berapa banyak tenaga yang digunakan, untuk apa dan dari mana tenaga itu datang dan mampu membuat keputusan berdasarkan kesan dan akibat.
“Paling penting di luar pemahaman, orang yang celik tenaga bertindak untuk mengurangkan jejak tenaganya dan komited untuk mempengaruhi masyarakat tentang cara praktikal untuk mengurangkan jejak tenaga mereka,” ujarnya.
Read more: FOMCA minta kerajaan pergiat program celik tenaga
Is Menu Rahmah harmful?
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14 Mar 2023, 7:00am
The unintended consequences of market manipulation crowd out small traders and cause more problems than they solve.
When economic policies flounder, the ministers are not always to blame. After all, they are here-today-gone-tomorrow.
Most have no experience of being a minister and they know half the square-root of next-to-nothing about economics. So we can hardly expect them to understand.
The culprits are those who designed the policies. If they have economics degrees, their certificates should be ceremoniously ripped-up and thrown to the ground.
If they do not have economics degrees, they should stay out of economic policy.
For example, the official data on the Menu Rahmah RM5 meal scheme appears to show that multi-billion dollar brand names are already dominating the market.
As of March 12, minister in charge Salahuddin Ayub said, 1,531 premises had been registered, bolstered by at least 10 top brands with more than 1,350 outlets across the country that have joined the scheme.
Added to the existing ones, this raises the potential number of outlets to almost 2,200 when all come online, more than 61% of which will be multimillion dollar franchise outlets.
So Menu Rahmah outlets are concentrated in the hands of the mega-rich, not the micro-enterprises.
Think tank sounds alarm over private debt situation
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High gearing can be disastrous, especially if the economy does not grow as projected, says economist.
15 Feb 2023, 7:45am
PETALING JAYA: Housewife Agnes (not her real name) leads a fairly comfortable life.
Her husband earns just about RM5,200 a month, a stable income that affords them a house and a car.
Unfortunately, a health insurance plan is out of reach.
House and car instalment payments already wipe out more than half of their income, leaving them with just RM1,900 to pay for household essentials and to raise their toddler.
The couple are caught in the middle income trap. Their income puts them in the M40, the 40% of Malaysians who belong in the middle income group.
They are hardly rich, yet they earn just a little too much to qualify for aid directed to the B40 (the bottom 40% of income earners).
Agnes hopes the government will take their plight into account in Budget 2023 given that it is increasingly challenging to cope with the rising cost of living on wages that have not been raised for some time.
Agnes and her husband are among nearly three million Malaysian households that are especially vulnerable to the household debt trap, according to economist Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of the Center for Market Education.
Many have had to borrow to meet additional expenses resulting from rising costs and the occasional emergencies.
Read more: Think tank sounds alarm over private debt situation
CAP: Promote farming in schools
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February 11, 2023 @ 4:54pm
KUALA LUMPUR: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) is calling on the Education Ministry to introduce agricultural activities to students at schools.
CAP education officer N.V. Subbarow said that school area and unused vacant lands should be utilised for organic farming.
He said that students nurtured with farming activities at school would be able to become good farmers on their own in the future which would ease the burden of their families by picking from their own farms.
"If students were taught agricultural education in schools, it would reduce the economic burden of their families in future.
"Green gardens can help B40 groups as the price of vegetables is very high. These families can save a lot of money by eating their own vegetables.
"It's time for the education ministry to emphasise farming education in schools and universities and teachers training colleges since many lands near their premises were not used for any purpose," he said in a statement to New Straits Times today.
A special programme was organised for the students of SJK(T) Pulau Carey Barat to promote agricultural activities to the students there.
About 40 teachers and 90 students from Kuala Langat district attended the natural farming training programme organised by CAP.
During the programme, Subbarow shared information on crop growth promoters and ways to make their own growth promoters with zero cost.
Preparation of vermicompost, insect repellants, importance of earthworms cultivation and cow dung utilisation method were demonstrated by him during the programme held recently.
"Based on our experience, many students and teachers are still unaware of planting vegetables. Schools can become a good and healthy centre to create more farmers.
Peniaga sambut Menu Rahmah, yakin dapat sambutan
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Januari 28, 2023 @ 6:58pm
KUALA LUMPUR: Golongan peniaga menyahut cabaran Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Kos Sara Hidup (KPDN) untuk mewujudkan Menu Rahmah, sebagai langkah membantu golongan memerlukan.
Inisiatif itu juga dilihat mampu menjadi daya tarikan pengunjung ke gerai makanan dan restoran bagi mendapatkan juadah yang sesuai dengan kemampuan kewangan.
Presiden Gabungan Persatuan Penjaja dan Peniaga Malaysia, Datuk Seri Rosli Sulaiman, berkata Menu Rahmah wajar dilaksanakan kerana peniaga juga mahu membantu golongan miskin tegar.
"Menerusi Menu Rahmah, kita boleh menyediakan nasi bersama ayam, sayur dan air sirap atau nasi bersama sardin, sayur serta air sirap.
"Saya juga sudah berhubung dengan beberapa peniaga makanan popular yang memaklumkan Menu Rahmah boleh dibuat walaupun keuntungannya kecil.
"Strategi mempamerkan Menu Rahmah di kedai boleh menarik perhatian pengunjung dan pasti ramai yang memilihnya.
"Ini sama seperti di pasar raya besar yang menjual ayam pada harga murah tetapi tetap memperoleh keuntungan," katanya ketika dihubungi di sini, hari ini.
Katanya, Menu Rahmah sesuai dijual di gerai yang mempunyai ramai pelanggan bagi memastikan kos bahan mentah dapat ditampung.
Pengurus Kanan Pusat Khidmat Aduan Pengguna Nasional (NCCC), Baskaran Sithamparam, mengingatkan peniaga supaya tidak memanipulasi Menu Rahmah.
LETTER | Revamp MyCC for better consumer protection - FOMCA
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Jan 27, 2023 11:38 AM
The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) fully supports Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Salahuddin Ayub for finally taking firm action to stop the abuse of consumers by Digital payments company Touch 'n Go (TNG).
Being a monopoly, TNG has always abused the welfare of consumers.
The Competition Act 2010 was established to prevent monopolistic behaviour by companies that abused their position in the market, thus causing suffering to consumers.
In relation to the abuses suffered by consumers, Fomca had filed a complaint with the Malaysian Competition Commission (MyCC) on Oct 30, 2018, against the abuses committed by TNG on consumers because of its monopolistic position.
Two years later, on Aug 28, 2020, MyCC responded that it had undertaken an investigation and, according to the results of its inquiry, “the issues raised do not raise any competition concern”. No matter how consumers are abused by TNG, the MyCC feels that it is not an issue of non-competition or the monopoly abusing its power.
There was again abuse of consumer welfare when TNG informed motorists that RFID would replace SmartTag. It sparked consumer anger and outrage. Fomca made a firm stand that consumers should be given a choice and not be forced into purchasing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).
MyCC was silent again.
Growing complaints
Fortunately, the then prime minister made a firm announcement that consumers should be given a choice.
Read more: LETTER | Revamp MyCC for better consumer protection - FOMCA
Over 3,000 complaints from 2021-2022 received against airlines: NCCC
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08 Jan 2023 8:00AM
JOHOR BARU – The National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) received 3,029 complaints against airliners from January 2020 to December 2021, according to its senior manager Baskaran Sithamparam.
The majority of the complaints, he pointed out, pertain to travellers facing obstacles in receiving refunds for cancelled flights.
During the height of the pandemic, Baskaran highlighted, travel restrictions saw travellers’ flights cancelled, with some airlines operating in Malaysia offering vouchers instead of cash refunds.
“What makes things worse is that these vouchers sometimes come with a time limit, whereby travellers must use them before the period ends.
“Furthermore, for some consumers, vouchers were not a feasible solution given that they paid for flights using their credit cards, so in such situations, cash refunds would have been best,” Baskaran told The Vibes.
Najib Redzuan is an example of a customer who purchased a flight with a low-cost carrier in early 2020, which was cancelled due to the movement control order in place at the time.
Until today, despite spending over RM5,000 on flight tickets to Japan for a family vacation, he has yet to receive proper reimbursement.
“We were planning to fly to Japan sometime in March, and when our flights were cancelled, I was told by the airline that I would get a refund within a certain time period.
“I waited a whole year until I came across the news that the airline would be pursuing a restructuring scheme, which would see customers like me receiving credits we could use to purchase another flight.
Read more: Over 3,000 complaints from 2021-2022 received against airlines: NCCC
Caj perubatan meningkat, polisi insurans dijangka naik
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Januari 6, 2023 @ 11:10am
KUALA LUMPUR: Nilai tuntutan perubatan bagi insurans dan takaful hayat dijangka meningkat tahun ini berikutan kenaikan caj hospital serta perubatan, kata Penganalisis AmInvestment Bank, Kelvin Ong.
"Sehubungan itu, kami tidak menolak kemungkinan syarikat insurans/takaful menaikkan premium/sumbangan polisi sedia ada, berkuat kuasa dan baharu bagi mencerminkan keadaan tuntutan sejak kebelakangan ini," katanya dalam satu nota penyelidikan.
Beliau berkata, perkembangan itu berbeza dengan segmen insurans am yang harganya dijangka kekal kompetitif pada tahun ini.
Katanya, ini berikutan pada 1 Oktober 2022, harga produk bagi segmen kebakaran dan motor terus diliberalisasi di bawah Fasa 2A.
"Di bawah fasa 2A, tarif bagi produk kebakaran dikurangkan sebanyak 15 peratus. Begitu juga, harga bagi produk kebakaran tanpa tarif dipinda sehingga kurang 30 peratus daripada tarif baharu. Ia menarik keluar keupayaannya untuk mengenakan caj premium sehingga 30 peratus daripada tarif kebakaran," katanya.
Sementara itu, Ong berkata fleksibiliti harga bagi segmen motor sudah dinaikkan kira-kira 15 peratus, lebih tinggi berbanding 10 peratus daripada tarif di bawah Fasa 2.
Read more: Caj perubatan meningkat, polisi insurans dijangka naik
'Payung Rahmah' to help B40, hardcore poor tackle cost of living issues
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January 8, 2023 @ 9:55am
JOHOR BARU: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry will be introducing the 'Payung Rahmah' initiative to reduce the cost of living for the lower-income group (B40) and hardcore poor.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub said the initiative which would be announced on Tuesday, is the result of the cooperation with several ministries including the Economy Ministry, and the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry.
"The details will be announced on Tuesday and the concept of Payung Rahmah is the focus of our ministry as well as its short-term strategy for the first six months.
"It will touch on the B40 and hardcore poor who may be hard hit if we don't deal with it carefully and with focus because I fear the global economic situation is expected to be serious this year and will give greater impact on them," he told reporters after the Pulai Parliamentary Personnel Feast here last night.
The Pulai Member of Parliament said the initiative included giving food baskets, Rahmah Kasih Sayang Cheap Sale and Cafe Rahmah for university students.
"We will provide food baskets and hold Rahmah Kasih Sayang Cheap Sales which will have a package of 10 items, while for university students, aid is through Cafe Rahmah," he said.
Meanwhile, regarding the Chinese New Year celebration, Salahuddin said the ministry will be announcing a price control scheme next week.
When asked if there was a possibility that face masks would be placed as a controlled item following the opening of China's border, he said it had not been decided so far.
Read more: 'Payung Rahmah' to help B40, hardcore poor tackle cost of living issues
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