What took you so long, says Fomca over cartel probe
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May 23, 2022 9:31 PM
PETALING JAYA: A consumer group has lambasted the government for taking its time before investigating claims about the existence of chicken cartels.
N Marimuthu, president of the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) questioned why the government had waited until a chicken shortage happened before investigating the allegations.
“The Malaysia Competition Commission was established to ensure the government had eyes and ears in place to prevent any cartels from functioning, yet it took a Cabinet meeting today for action to be taken,” he said.
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said earlier today that the investigation into claims of a chicken cartel would be completed by June.
Marimuthu said the government should have had better foresight. It must not delay the investigations any longer than necessary.
Meanwhile, Mydin hypermarket managing director Ameer Ali Mydin labelled the allegations of cartels as “shocking”. He said the prime minister’s statement had all but confirmed the existence of cartels.
“There is no place for these groups in Malaysia,” he said.
Consumer groups want all food-related APs abolished
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Monday, 23 May 2022
PETALING JAYA: Reducing the red tape may help address the rising cost of living and food shortages, say consumer associations.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason (pic) said the Approved Permit (AP) requirement should be abolished across the board to bring in more imports and allow more food industry players to come in to ensure there is sufficient supply in the market.
“(There must be) total abolition of APs. The government must also make trade practices much easier.
“Too many licensing requirements is a waste of time,” he said.
Marimuthu added that the government should assist small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in producing enough food for the people.
Efforts must also be made to increase employment opportunities and welfare allocations for vulnerable groups, and ensure that more lower-income people have access to education and affordable healthcare, he added.
Fomca chief executive officer Saravanan Thambirajah echoed the call by National Recovery Council chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for the re-activation of the food security council that was previously created to handle food crises.
He said the council should look into long-term measures to increase the food supply, create strong policies to protect the country against global economic conditions, and to reduce dependence on food imports.
“We need good agricultural policies in Malaysia. Don’t focus so much on land development. We need to focus on agriculture as well,” he added.
Read more: Consumer groups want all food-related APs abolished
Removing fuel subsidies may backfire, says Fomca
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May 23, 2022 @ 9:30am
KUALA LUMPUR: Removing fuel subsidies for Malaysians and permanent residents with locally registered cars amid the soaring prices of goods and rising cost of living may backfire and cause higher inflation.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief executive officer T. Saravanan said this was because suppliers and traders were extremely sensitive to fuel prices and would raise the price of goods whether or not they were affected by the subsidy removal.
"Even if they also enjoyed the subsidy, their excuse would be that everything else has gone up, and they too have to hike their prices.
"In times of such severe inflation, this is likely to backfire," he said, adding that middle-income families were experiencing hardship previously restricted to low-income households.
He was responding to a statement by Senior International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, who said the government was looking to adopt a more targeted fuel subsidy mechanism.
Azmin had said government representatives had agreed that the assistance should be targeted at the deserving.
The bill for the assistance was projected to be RM28 billion for this year compared with RM11 billion recorded last year.
Saravanan, however, said consumers were struggling with the high cost of living, declining purchasing power, an uncertain economy, currency fluctuations and rising inflation.
"Putrajaya should be prepared to face the ire from the B40 and M40 groups if it plans to implement it now."
Fomca: Time is ripe for govt to have its own chicken farm
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May 22, 2022 @ 5:17pm
KUALA LUMPUR: The time has come for the government to own and operate its chicken farm to ensure the supply of the perishable item is stable in the country.
Deputy President of the Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca), Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman proposed that the chicken farms could be managed by government-linked companies or agencies that have expertise in livestock management.
He claimed that the current chicken supply crisis occurred because the poultry stock was controlled by certain cartels that could do anything, including limiting supply if they wanted to manipulate the price.
"Now is the time for the government to look into plans to (have its) own chicken farms which are an alternative to the reliance on private companies.
"This involves food security for the people because the supply can be limited or cut off, even for a period of a few days.
"Do not continue to be pressured by the game played by certain parties who seem to threaten the government by limiting chicken supply for various reasons," he said.
Although the supply of chicken is likely to be cut off for a short period only, Yusof stressed that the impact will still be felt by consumers.
He said the already rising prices would prove hard to come back down, with consumers and traders having to bear it.
"In fact, when there is an own (government) chicken farm, the government also does not have to rely on chicken imported from China," he said.
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Govt to monitor e-hailing amid complaints of fare spike
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May 22, 2022 2:12 PM
KUALA LUMPUR: The government will monitor e-hailing services from time to time as well as gather and analyse information before any changes are made, including the proposed fare regulatory mechanism.
The Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) said factors such as the working environment of drivers, passengers, service providers, and others must be taken into account to ensure balanced supply and demand.
This follows complaints from passengers regarding the current e-hailing price surge and driver shortage, especially during peak hours.
The service fare was reported to have increased up to 400% during peak hours, triggering dissatisfaction among passengers and consumer groups.
They also called for government intervention, among others, including implementing an e-hailing fare regulation.
According to the agency, the concept of e-hailing service involves mutual agreement between users and service providers for travel bookings through an application that displays the fare amount. Users have the option to continue with the booking or not.
“To date, there are more than 10 major e-hailing service providers offering the service,” the agency said.
Meanwhile, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) senior lecturer Nur Azam Anuarul Perai said the proposal to regulate prices, such as setting a ceiling price, may cause a shortage of drivers as they could quit due to inadequate returns.
Read more: Govt to monitor e-hailing amid complaints of fare spike
Call for govt to abolish all APs
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May 22, 2022 @ 9:30am
THE government has been urged to scrap all Approved Permits (APs) following the decision to revoke licensing requirements for food imports.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason hailed the decision to revoke licensing requirements for food imports as food accounted for RM60 billion of the country's annual import bill.
He said it was time Putrajaya abolished the system that had long been decried as a way for the rich and powerful to line their pockets.
"All this while, we have only enriched those with APs. I would like to personally say thank you to the prime minister for finally listening to us on scrapping APs for food.
"There is enough data to show that the world is on the brink of an unprecedented food security crisis.
"This makes it easier for anyone with the network and connections to bring in goods from anywhere and consumers do not have to rely on those who monopolise imports or food cartels."
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob had taken a crucial step to protect consumers, but he had to go the extra mile and scrap all APs once and for all.
On the issue of quality and safety, he said, the government had enough safety and health personnel to regulate imports under an open system like it was done under the AP system.
"This cannot be used as a ruse to not liberalise the system as a whole."
Developers slammed for gagging house buyers over faulty units
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May 18, 2022 10:45 AM
PETALING JAYA: A consumer advocacy group has denounced property developers who require house buyers to sign an agreement to prevent them from speaking about defects in construction that are remedied during the defective liability period (DLP).
National House Buyers Association secretary-general Chang Kim Loong told FMT he was concerned that “rogue developers” were trying to silence purchasers through the non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
“House buyers who sign the NDA would be exposed to potential legal action if they share with others details of the defects in their properties,” he said.
“This must be stopped.”
He advised house buyers against signing such an agreement.
A Klang Valley resident recently claimed to have signed an NDA following repairs made to the unit during the DLP. FMT is withholding the identities of both the developer and the resident.
Lawyer V Rajadevan told FMT: “I don’t see the need for an NDA unless the developer is trying to hide the fact that a claim for liability has been settled or is worried about bad publicity.”
He also said the law recognised the developer’s liability to make repairs during the 24-month DLP, which starts from the date purchasers receive vacant possession of their homes.
“If a developer forces a buyer to sign an NDA as a condition for repairs, then legal action can be taken because it is the developer’s duty to make good the defects during the DLP.”
Read more: Developers slammed for gagging house buyers over faulty units
Kecekapan pengunaan kunci jimat elektrik
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18 Mei 2022
KUALA LUMPUR - Penggunaan pelbagai sumber bahan api dan pemberian subsidi telah membolehkan rakyat Malaysia berterusan menikmati kadar tarif elektrik antara terendah di rantau Asia Tenggara sejak sekian lama, meskipun sektor tenaga sentiasa ditekan oleh pelbagai faktor luaran dan dalaman.
Begitupun kenaikan luar jangka harga bahan api khususnya arang batu dan gas asli sejak penularan Covid-19, mewujudkan tekanan luar biasa sehingga menimbulkan tanda tanya sejauh mana daya tahan tarif elektrik negara.
Ini kerana hampir 93 peratus elektrik di Semenanjung Malaysia dijana menggunakan arang batu serta gas asli, dan pada masa ini harga arang batu dunia melonjak ke paras lebih US$200 setan serta dijangka terus meningkat berikutan krisis Ukraine-Rusia.
Menurut Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), kos penjanaan elektrik termasuk kos bahan api membentuk lebih 65 peratus daripada tarif asas elektrik dan kenaikan harga bahan api fosil, khususnya arang batu, menyebabkan kos penjanaan elektrik negara kini meningkat 4.5 kali ganda.
Dalam kemelut ini, bagi tempoh Februari hingga Jun depan, pengguna domestik di Semenanjung masih dapat menikmati rebat dua sen bagi setiap kilowatt per jam (kWj), manakala surcaj minimum 3.7 sen/kWj dikenakan terhadap pengguna industri dan komersial. Ini dapat dilaksanakan melalui mekanisme Pelepasan Kos Tidak Seimbang (ICPT) yang membolehkan kerajaan melaraskan kos penjanaan dan bahan api setiap enam bulan.
Permintaan tinggi jenama tertentu tepung gandum punca bekalan kurang
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17 Mei 2022
KUALA LUMPUR - Kekurangan bekalan tepung gandum di pasaran seperti yang dilaporkan media ketika ini adalah disebabkan jenama tertentu mendapat permintaan tinggi dan bukan disebabkan tindakan India menyekat eksport gandum ke pasaran global.
Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi berkata, negara hanya mengimport 15 peratus bekalan gandum dari India, Amerika Syarikat dan Ukraine manakala selebihnya adalah dari Australia.
"Kalau ada gangguan bekalan mungkin sebab permintaan tinggi bagi sesuatu jenama dan disebabkan itu ia cepat habis. Buat masa ini, kita tidak kesan lagi kekurangan gandum di pasaran, kita tidak terima aduan secara langsung kepada Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Hal Ehwal Pengguna (KPDNHEP).
"Kita dapat maklumat daripada media dan kita siasat seperti di Melaka terdapat kes terpencil sahaja dan bukannya menyeluruh (seluruh negara),” katanya kepada pemberita selepas Majlis Salam Aidilfitri 2022 Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia di sini pada Selasa.
Beliau turut menjelaskan setakat ini kekurangan bekalan tepung gandum tidak dilihat sebagai kritikal namun pihaknya terus membuat pemantauan berterusan.
Dalam pada itu, Nanta menjelaskan sekiranya terdapat peningkatan harga tepung gandum ia bukan daripada bekalan yang bersubsidi kerana tepung gandum bersubsidi kekal pada kadar RM1.35 sen bagi satu kilogram.
Read more: Permintaan tinggi jenama tertentu tepung gandum punca bekalan kurang
Court of Appeal affirms undocumented can seek redress from labour court
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May 13, 2022 2:10 PM
PETALING JAYA: The Court of Appeal has upheld a High Court decision that an undocumented worker has the right to have her case heard by the labour court.
Tenaganita executive director Glorene Das said the decision marked a significant step in ensuring marginalised groups like undocumented migrant workers were able to access justice through the labour department.
“We hope that with this Court of Appeal ruling, the labour department will now have an unequivocal mandate to overcome any devious attempts to use the Immigration Act to override basic human rights,” said Das in a statement.
She said Court of Appeal judge Ravinthran Paramaguru ruled that there is nothing in the Employment Act and in the Employment (Restriction) Act which prevents a worker from approaching the labour court for redress.
“The labour court should not shut its doors against an undocumented worker without allowing her to vent her grievances,” he said.
In August 2018, the Port Klang labour court dismissed a claim by an undocumented worker against her previous employer, Angie Lee, for unpaid wages of over RM30,000. The worker, nicknamed Nona, then appealed against the labour court’s decision.
In 2019, the Shah Alam High Court held that the labour court must hear Nona’s case, but the employer later appealed against the decision.
Read more: Court of Appeal affirms undocumented can seek redress from labour court
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