FOMCA, WECAM, FAM: Celebrating World Water Day 2021 โ Valuing Water
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22 March, 2021
JOINT PRESS RELEASE BY
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA)
Water and Energy Consumers Association of Malaysia (WECAM)
Forum Air Malaysia (FAM)
Celebrating World Water Day 2021 โ Valuing Water
On 22 March, 2021, World Water Day will be celebrated in an online event throughout the world due to new social norms to curb Covid-19 pandemic. The World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the global water crisis, and a core focus of the observance is to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: water and sanitation for all by 2030.
The theme of World Water Day 2021 is valuing water. The value of water is about much more than its price โ water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. If we overlook any of these values, we risk mismanaging this finite, irreplaceable resource. SDG 6 is to ensure water and sanitation for all. Without a comprehensive understanding of waterโs true, multidimensional value, we will be unable to safeguard this critical resource for the benefit of everyone.
Though Malaysia is blessed with abundant water resources, the country is experiencing an alarming increase in demand for water supply in recent years. Many seem to take this natural resource for granted, while often having the misconception that supplying clean water would be cheap and easy.
Demand for the water is higher nowadays. There are several contributory factors such as increased human population, which now stands at 7 billion, uncontrolled developments, industrial and agricultural expansion. Currently world water supply is inadequate, deteriorating in quality and low flow of surface water. The greed for money is causing water pollution and quality deterioration. As a result, water has reached its carrying capacity, where water has reached its limits in balancing the pollution and negative treatment it receives.
Read more: FOMCA, WECAM, FAM: Celebrating World Water Day 2021 โ Valuing Water
Tougher laws needed to save water sources, says CAP
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March 21, 2021 11:27 AM
PETALING JAYA: A consumer organisation wants the authorities to move away from mere โsloganeeringโ when it comes to protecting water resources and has called for more action as it claims that pollution is getting worse.
The Consumersโ Association of Penang (CAP) said there is an urgent need for tougher water-related laws with much higher penalties in view of the numerous violations caused by irresponsible individuals and industries.
It said recent incidents, including the depletion of water at reservoirs in several dams such as the Muda Dam in Kedah and river pollution in Selangor and Johor, are evidence of deteriorating water quality and supply.
In Kedah, it said, residents are worried that their health will be affected because the supply of tap water has not only been reduced but also dirty and silty.
โCommunities sourcing water from the hills also complain that the supply is contaminated with mud as a result of uncontrolled logging and extractive activities in the catchment area,โ CAP said in a statement in conjunction with World Water Day tomorrow.
It said the water quality at Timah Tasoh lake in Perlis and Tasik Chini in Pahang has also been badly affected by environmental pollution from the surrounding areas.
โOur investigations found that threats to water resources such as destruction of catchment areas due to logging activities, and pollution of rivers and seas by industrial waste, sewage, agrochemical residue and sediment from agricultural areas, and animal manure and livestock waste including garbage disposal, have increased.
Read more: Tougher laws needed to save water sources, says CAP
AEON recalls eggs flagged in Sโpore for contamination
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March 21, 2021 10:52 AM
PETALING JAYA: Hypermarket chain AEON has recalled a batch of eggs which has been flagged by Singaporean authorities for the presence of Salmonella enteritidis (SE).
The affected eggs from Linggi Agriculture Sdn Bhd bear the โCEM014โ stamp.
Yesterday, the Singapore Food Agency said it was recalling the batch of eggs. It said SE can cause foodborne illness if food is undercooked or consumed raw.
โAEON would like to inform that we have immediately recalled similar batches of eggs that can be identified by the stamp โCEM014โ from our supermarket shelves.
โCustomers who have purchased the products are urged to return them to the place of purchase at the customer service counter for a full refund as per the receipt,โ it said.
It added that those with any queries may call 1300-80-2366 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Last week, Singapore authorities also ordered the recall of eggs from Lay Hong Bhd Layer Farm Jeram because of a similar issue.
Source:
Wait 10 days before eating eggs
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17 MAR 2021 / 11:19 H
PETALING JAYA: Consumers will have to wait another 10 days before they know if it is safe to consume eggs sold in the market.
The Veterinary Services Department collected samples from eight poultry farms in Jeram, Selangor for tests in response to Singaporeโs rejection of eggs from the farms.
Agriculture and Food Industries Deputy Minister I Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah told theSun that samples of the eggs are now at the departmentโs laboratory in Salak Tinggi.
โWe can expect to see some results in seven to 10 days.โ
The Singapore Food Agency announced last Friday that it had instructed importers to recall eggs from the Lay Hong Bhd layer farm in Jeram after detecting Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) in the eggs.
Hamzah said the farm has also been directed to stop marketing the eggs pending results of the Veterinary Services Departme findings.
The test requires the contaminated eggs to be pasteurised, a process called โheat treatmentโ.
The Salmonella virus, if consumed, can cause diarrhoea, abdominal pains, fever, nausea and vomiting. However, according to public health expert Dr Hanafiah Bashirun, the eggs can be safe for human consumption if boiled or fried at 100ยฐC.
CAP: How safe are our eggs?
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March 17, 2021
GEORGE TOWN: The Consumers' Association of Penang (CAP) has urged the authorities to investigate all poultry farms in the country to ensure that they comply with food safety regulations.
This follows a recent report on the import of eggs from a farm in Kuala Selangor being suspended by Singaporean authorities as they were found to be contaminated with salmonella enteritidis bacterium.
CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader said the authorities should also look into how chickens were reared, which could have contributed to the contamination.
"We urge the authorities to set up a committee to investigate the monitoring system with regards to food safety," he said today.
He advised consumers to cook their eggs thoroughly before consuming. The bacterium salmonella enteritidis can cause diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, nausea and vomiting.
Mohideen said the incident showed that some Malaysians were not conscious about food safety.
"It is strange that such an incident was not discovered by our local authorities earlier even though it is estimated that Malaysians consume 30 million eggs daily. Given the situation, Malaysian consumers may have unknowingly consumed the contaminated eggs."
The main pieces of legislation regulating food safety in the country are the Food Act 1983, Food Regulations 1985 and Food Hygiene Regulations 2009, aimed at protecting the public against food-related hazards and frauds, to promote safe preparation, handling, distribution and the sale of healthy and high quality food.
No respite for fraud victim as bank insists on payment for purchases she never made
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17 Mar 2021
IPOH: A customer service representative is at her wits' end after her e-commerce account was apparently hacked and her credit card used to buy more than RM18,000 worth of items.
Low Syuk Yee, 38, said she never received any one-time passwords from the issuing bank for the 25 transactions made within four hours on Aug 13 last year.
She subsequently lodged a police report as well as reports with the bank and online shopping platform.
She said the transactions amounting to RM18,437.40 were for the purchase of mobile and social media chat top-ups.
โThe police said they would not be able to open an investigation into the matter, the online platform does not want to reveal details to me, and the bank said that I have to settle the monthly payment," she told a press conference organised by Perak MCA Public Service and Complaints Bureau chief Low Guo Nan on Tuesday (March 16).
She said she was at least able to stop the charges from being racked up further after getting a message from the bank about a transaction for RM812.40 on the night of Aug 13.
Syuk Yee said when she got the message from the bank, she immediately asked the bank to block her card.
โI also called the online platform, and the representative told me to change my password and make a police report.
โMy transaction history on the site shows that I always only buy clothes and childrenโs items, and never spend more than RM500 per month.
Read more: No respite for fraud victim as bank insists on payment for purchases she never made
Penggunaan plastik sukar dielakkan
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16 Mac 2021
SHAH ALAM - Penggunaan plastik sukar dielakkan kerana ia telah menjadi suatu kebiasaan yang memudahkan kehidupan seharian dari peralatan makanan sehingga komponen peralatan elektrik dan kenderaan.
Presiden Gabungan Persatuan - persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA), Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason berkata, berdasarkan laporan World Wildlife Fund (WWF) pada tahun 2020, anggaran nilai penggunaan bungkusan plastik makanan di Malaysia berjumlah 148,000 tan metrik.
โMalaysia juga merupakan pengimport utama sampah plastik iaitu kira-kira 870,000 tan metrik pada tahun 2018,โ katanya dalam satu kenyataan pada Isnin sempena sambutan Hari Hak-hak Pengguna Sedunia (WCRD) disambut pada 15 Mac setiap tahun.
Beliau berkata, satu kajian menganggarkan bahawa Malaysia telah menghasilkan 0.94 juta tan sisa plastik yang tidak terurus.
โDaripada jumlah tersebut, 0.14 hingga 0.37 juta tan mungkin telah masuk ke lautan.
โKeupayaan negara untuk mengatasi masalah sampah plastik telah melebihi tahap kemampuan. Hanya sembilan peratus sampah plastik yang dihasilkan dunia telah dikitar semula. Sebilangan besar sampah plastik tersebut berakhir di tapak pelupusan sampah, longkang atau persekitaran,โ katanya.
Beliau yang juga Presiden Consumers International berkata, kerajaan telah mengambil beberapa tindakan untuk mengurangkan penggunaan beg plastik termasuk mengenakan caj bagi beg plastik yang dijual di pasar raya dan kedai serbaneka.
Beware the debt trap, young ones
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March 15, 2021 @ 12:03pm
LETTERS: I refer to Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz statement recently that 40 per cent of millennials spend beyond their means.
In another worrying development, according to Bank Negara Malaysia, 47 per cent of Malaysian youths have high credit card debts.
These figures are alarming and probably unprecedented in the history of our nation. It is a stark reflection of the lack of financial prudence on the part of the millennials.
Lavishing spending and high living have resulted in thousands of them, on the threshold of adulthood, already being burdened with mounting debts, unable to service their personal loans whether housing, car, credit card and many other financial commitments.
Debt is something like quick sand in that it has the tendency to draw its victim deeper and deeper. Financial prudence is not an inborn trait but a self discipline that has to be acquired.
It is a dereliction of duty if parents do not educate their children on the importance of living within their means besides nurturing the saving habit.
How a man uses money, makes it, saves it, and spends it is perhaps one of the best tests of practical wisdom. Financial institutions are also partly to blame for this deplorable state of affairs.
SIARAN AKHBAR: HARI HAK-HAK PENGGUNA SEDUNIA, 15 MAC 2021
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13 MAC 2021
SIARAN AKHBAR
HARI HAK-HAK PENGGUNA SEDUNIA, 15 MAC 2021
TEMA: MENANGANI PENCEMARAN PLASTIK
Hari Hak-hak Pengguna Sedunia (WCRD) disambut pada 15 Mac setiap tahun. Ini merupakan sambutan global yang diraikan oleh pergerakan pengguna di seluruh negara. Pada setiap tahun, pertubuhan pengguna di seluruh dunia akan bergabung pada hari yang sama untuk menyoroti dan memberi kesedaran mengenai sesuatu isu yang penting bagi pengguna di seluruh dunia.
Tema WCRD bagi tahun 2021 ialah `Menangani Pencemaran Plastikโ. Acara WCRD diselaraskan oleh Consumers International yang mempunyai keahlian lebih daripada 200 pertubuhan dari 100 buah negara. Pada masa ini, Presiden Gabungan Persatuan-persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA) juga meupakan Presiden Consumers International.
Terdapat 17 Matlamat Pembangunan Lestari (SDG) yang ditetapkan semasa Sidang Kemuncak Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) pada tahun 2016. Semua matlamat ini perlu dicapai menjelang tahun 2030. Pada masa ini, bumi sedang menghadapi pelbagai masalah besar - isu wabak COVID-19 hinggalah pencemaran. Salah satu punca utama yang menyumbang kepada pencemaran ialah plastik.
Matlamat SDG yang ke-12 ialah pengeluaran dan penggunaan yang bertanggungjawab. Peningkatan pengeluaran dan penggunaan barang di seluruh dunia menjadi penyumbang utama kepada ekonomi. Tetapi pengeluaran dan penggunaan yang secara berterusan juga akan menyumbang kepada kemusnahan semula jadi flora dan fauna. Pembangunan sosial dan ekonomi sudah pasti akan merosakkan bumi di pelbagai peringkat.
Penggunaan plastik sukar dielakkan kerana penggunaannya telah menjadi suatu kebiasaan, yang memudahkan kehidupan seharian - dari peralatan makanan sehingga komponen peralatan elektrik dan kenderaan. Plastik sememangnya telah mengubah kehidupan kita. Apabila jumlah penduduk semakin meningkat setiap tahun, maka penggunaan plastik juga kian bertambah. Plastik telah menjadi keperluan manusia yang amat ketara apabila plastik telah berubah dari plastik kepada bahan polimer yang boleh menjadi sintetik, termoset dan termoplastik.
Read more: SIARAN AKHBAR: HARI HAK-HAK PENGGUNA SEDUNIA, 15 MAC 2021
PRESS RELEASE: WORLD CONSUMER RIGHT DAY 2021,15 MARCH 2021
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13 MARCH 2021
PRESS RELEASE
WORLD CONSUMER RIGHT DAY 2021,15 MARCH 2021
THEME: TACKLING PLASTIC POLLUTION
15th March is World Consumer Rights Day. It is an annual occasion for celebration, impact and global solidarity within the international consumer movement. Each year consumer organisations throughout the world mark the day by joining to highlight and raise awareness of an issue that is important to consumersโ around the world.
The theme for World Consumers Rights Day 2021 is โTackling Plastic Pollution. The WCRD event is organised and coordinated by Consumers International, which has membership of over 200 members from over 100 countries. The current President of CI is the President of FOMCA.
United Nations historic Summit in 2016 launched 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Currently, the universe is facing lots of major issues from pandemic to pollution. One main culprit contributing to pollution is plastic.
Goal number 12 of the SDG is about responsible production and consumption. The production and consumption of goods worldwide are nevertheless increasing as it is one of the major global contributor towards economy. Undeniably the inexhaustible production and consumption has contributed to the destruction of our mother nature both to the flora and fauna alike. Economic and social development has certainly impaired the planet earth at multilevel.
Plastics are something inevitable as it has been a boon in certain ways as we use it practically every day from our fork and spoon to components of electrical appliances and vehicles. Plastics have indeed changed our lives. As the population keeps increasing annually, so does the usage of plastics. The need for plastics have indeed increased tremendously since plastics have diversified from plastic to polymeric material which can be synthetic, thermoset or thermoplastics.
In Malaysia, besides, being one of the highest among six countries in Asia contributing to plastic waste, we are also importing plastic waste. In 2020 according to World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the estimate value of annual food plastic packaging consumption in Malaysia amounted to 148,000 metric tons. Malaysiaโs annual per capita plastic consumption for packaging was almost 16.8 kilograms. Besides that, Malaysia is also a major importer of plastic waste, taking in 870,000 metric tons in 2018. This however has dwindled to 143,000 tons in 2019 as the government took stern and strict actions by closing illegal plants and imports.
Read more: PRESS RELEASE: WORLD CONSUMER RIGHT DAY 2021,15 MARCH 2021
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