Lack of savings a major concern
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March 2, 2021 @ 9:00am
KUALA LUMPUR: Draining retirement savings from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Account 1 serves to underscore how financially ill-prepared some Malaysians are for rainy days, even before the Covid-19 pandemic began.
Such a move during the pandemic would only compound the negative effects on Malaysians as they had barely enough savings in Account 1 to tide them through retirement, said the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca).
Fomca chief executive officer Datuk Paul Selvaraj, describing the situation as "dangerous", said based on reports, 67 per cent of Malaysians were unable to meet the minimum amount of RM240,000 in savings on retirement.
Some 42 per cent of Malaysians, he said, solely depended on Account 1 funds and had no other form of savings or revenue.
"While the measure to ease their financial burden now is good, it is going to be very tough on them when they hit retirement age.
"This is a dilemma as whatever savings they have will be little and may be exhausted within two to three years.
"The money channelled to Account 1 is a form of forced savings and in principle, should not be touched until one's retirement.
"However, with 30 per cent Malaysians said to have withdrawn close to all of their savings, it shows how unready we are for emergencies.
"It proves how saving for retirement is not taken seriously as the amounts are low.
"They are forced to dig into their long-term savings, which is not good, and such situations expose how it (saving for retirement) is being neglected," he told the New Straits Times.
On Saturday, EPF chief executive officer Tunku Alizakri Alias revealed in the EPF Financial Report 2020 that nearly 30 per cent of members could have taken out almost all of their Account 1 retirement savings since March last year, leaving only RM100 as part of the condition.
Your personal data may have been compromised, Malaysia Airlines tells its frequent flyer members
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Tuesday, 02 Mar 2021 09:00 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 — National carrier Malaysia Airlines informed members of its frequent flyer programme Enrich that there had been a “data security incident” at one of its third-party IT service providers.
According to the airlines, the incident happened between a nine-year-period from March 2010 to June 2019.
However, the company did not disclose the number of members affected.
“The personal data involved in the incident included Enrich member names, date of birth, gender, contact details, frequent flyer number, frequent flyer status and frequent flyer tier level.
“It did not include any information about itineraries, reservations, ticketing, or any ID card or payment card information.
“The incident did not affect Malaysia Airlines’ own IT infrastructure and systems in any way,” it said in the emailed statement to Enrich members.
Checks showed the statement was not available on the airlines’ official website nor its social media platforms.
Malaysia Airlines added that it has no evidence that the data was being misused, however, it advised Enrich members to change their accounts’ password for safety reasons.
It further advised members to contact its data privacy officer and said it would not be calling them to update their personal details.
Source:
Pengurusan kondominium tidak boleh keluarkan denda untuk kesalahan pelitup muka
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February 25, 2021 10:14 PM
PETALING JAYA: Badan pengurusan kondominium tiada hak untuk mengenakan sebarang penalti terhadap penghuni yang tidak memakai pelitup muka, kata menteri kanan keselamatan Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Seorang budak lelaki berusia setahun dilaporkan didenda RM100 oleh badan pengurusan sebuah kondominium di Ampang awal minggu ini kerana tidak memakai pelitup muka di dalam lif, dengan kejadian itu tular selepas dikongsikan ibunya di Facebook.
Walaupun memakai pelitup muka diwajibkan sejak 1 Ogos, ketua pengarah kesihatan Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah berkata kanak-kanak berusia dua tahun ke bawah dikecualikan.
Mengulas isu itu hari ini, Ismail berkata hanya pegawai kementerian kesihatan dan polis mempunyai kuasa untuk mengeluarkan kompaun terhadap mereka yang gagal memakai pelitup muka mengikut peruntukan Akta Kawalan dan Pencegahan Penyakit Berjangkit 1988 (Akta 342).
“Apa dilakukan pengurusan kondominium di Ampang itu salah,” katanya dalam sidang media hari ini.
“Kuasa mengeluarkan kompaun dan tindakan lain mengikut Akta 342 adalah untuk kementerian kesihatan dan pihak yang diberi kuasa oleh kementerian seperti polis.
“Sehingga kini kami tidak memberikan kuasa itu kepada badan pengurusan kondominium dan pangsapuri, mahupun pejabat lain. Mereka tidak mempunyai kuasa itu.
“Saya berharap mereka membatalkan kompaun untuk budak berusia setahun itu. Tidak masuk akal pada saya.”
Read more: Pengurusan kondominium tidak boleh keluarkan denda untuk kesalahan pelitup muka
i-Sinar: NUPCIW, FOMCA bimbang masa depan kewangan pencarum
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19 Februari 2021
SHAH ALAM - Wakil pekerja dan pengguna melahirkan kebimbangan terhadap kesan jangka panjang bakal dihadapi pencarum yang mengeluarkan simpanan Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) menerusi i-Sinar.
Setiausaha Agung Kesatuan Kebangsaan Pekerja-Pekerja Perusahaan Petroleum dan Kimia (NUPCIW), Datuk Abdul Halim Mansor berkata, langkah terbaharu KWSP itu akan memberikan kesan negatif terhadap perlindungan sosial jangka panjang pekerja di Malaysia.
“Laporan (KWSP) menunjukkan sebanyak dua juta pencarum KWSP tidak ada simpanan (mencukupi) dalam tabung dua sekarang ini dan lebih kurang 42 peratus tidak ada simpanan purata melebihi RM5,000.
“Jadi apabila kita keluarkan RM4,900 tinggal RM100. Siapa boleh bagi kita jaminan pandemik akan tamat bulan Jun. Apakah akan jadi kepada rayuan mereka yang telah keluarkan duit (jika pandemik berlanjutan). Di mana kita nak bagi,” katanya.
Beliau berkata demikian ketika menjadi panelis Wacana Sinar Harian edisi Ke-233 bertajuk ‘i-Sinar: Rintihan Rakyat Akhirnya Didengari’ yang bersiaran secara langsung dari Kumpulan Karangkraf di sini pada Khamis.
Turut serta menjadi panelis ialah Ketua Pemuda UMNO, Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki; penganalisis ekonomi, Datuk Dr Madeline Berma dan Presiden Gabungan Persatuan-Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA), Datuk Paul Selvaraj, manakala Ismail Adnan bertindak selaku moderator.
Sementara itu, Paul berkata, pencarum perlu melakukan pertimbangan yang secukupnya sebelum menggunakan kemudahan i-Sinar.
Read more: i-Sinar: NUPCIW, FOMCA bimbang masa depan kewangan pencarum
Can broadband providers charge ridiculously high penalties? Here’s MCMC response
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Sunday, 28 Feb 2021 11:02 AM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — Recently, we’ve published a comparison of penalties imposed by fibre broadband players for customers that cancel before their contract expires. What we noticed is that some had changed their T&C which requires customers to pay the full subscription amount for the remaining months of their contract.
As mentioned in the earlier post, it is unfair to make customers pay in full for something that they no longer use. We’ve reached out to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and here’s their official response on the matter.
When we asked the MCMC if there are any regulations in place which caps the penalty charge to a fixed amount to protect consumers, they told us that there’s a General Consumer Code of Practice (GCC) in place to provide guidelines for self-regulation.
The commission points to Part 2 Provision of Information under Terms & Termination, it is a Service Providers’ duty to inform a consumer on pertinent details detailing a contract including its minimum contract term (if applicable),
minimum period & the manner of notification of termination and amount or method of calculating any charges payable for early termination.
The MCMC said “Thus, it is important for consumers to read the legal contract as every word is part of the legal agreement. When SP does not provide that information, then it may possibly be breach of GCC and will be subject to regulatory action.”
The answer is also the same when we asked the MCMC if providers are allowed to demand back hardware (such as the fibre broadband BTU) even after they have fulfilled their minimum contract period. In their official reply, they told us that consumers would need to read the Terms & Conditions before subscribing.
Read more: Can broadband providers charge ridiculously high penalties? Here’s MCMC response
Fomca: Govt must actively address vaccination hesitation for NIP to work
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February 24, 2021 @ 4:51pm
KUALA LUMPUR: The government must actively address the issue of vaccination hesitation in the country and Malaysians, as a whole, must have a national consensus on receiving the Covid-19 immunisation.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association secretary-general Datuk Paul Selvaraj said these issues must be tackled for the three-phase national Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP) to be successful in the battle against the virus.
While the inoculation of Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has instilled confidence in the people towards the vaccination, Selvaraj said it was important for the government to embark on active engagements with the people on getting vaccinated.
He suggested that the government could engage the help of community or religious leaders to convey the message to society.
"As a nation, we cannot afford to have divided opinions in the biggest ever vaccination exercise to fight Covid-19. Nowadays, certain quarters are influenced by different schools of thought and that is inevitable.
"It is unlike those days where vaccinations are taken as it is necessary but now, we have all sorts of debates and opinions.
"For the NIP to work, everyone has to be on board. Strong and consistent messages must be sent out to Malaysians on getting vaccinated and to dispel uncertainties, or else this will hamper the government's aim to achieve herd immunity and everyone will suffer," he told the New Straits Times.
Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Seri Mohammad Hamdan Wahid said 15,000 of its personnel will be vaccinated in the first and second phases of the NIP.
Read more: Fomca: Govt must actively address vaccination hesitation for NIP to work
MAVCOM Finally Acts to Protect Aviation Consumers
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24 February 2021
MAVCOM has finally taken the bold step to demand that airlines refund affected consumers. In our letter to the editor on July 2020, FOMCA had expressed deep disappointment with the airlines industry for refusing to refund consumers and demanding that consumers accept credit to be used by a stipulated time, instead of their cash refunds.
Consumers have a right to refunds as the service had been cancelled.
Complaints by consumers to MAVCOM were given stock answers that the airlines have been informed to respond to the consumers complaints. The National Consumer Complaints Center (NCCC) request to MAVCOM to facilitate prompt refund to consumers also met with failure.
We had indeed shared our utter disappointment with MAVCOM’s approach towards consumer complaints and request for refunds. We had complained that instead of protecting consumers it allows the airlines leeway to refuse giving consumers their refunds.
Yet, finally MAVCOM recently has directed airlines to refund the affected consumers for flights that had been cancelled as a result of international and local travel restrictions necessitated by the covid-19 pandemic. The instruction from MAVCOM should be a clear and explicit directive to the airlines to refund the affected consumers not a request.
MAVCOM functions under the Malaysian Aviation Consumer Protection Code and thus should act to protect consumers as the first priority. FOMCA fully supports the statement by MAVCOM that the airlines should refund to affected consumers the amount equivalent to the cost of the ticket at the time of purchase, including taxes, charges and fees under any written law and charges for optional services.
FOMCA would also urge that the airlines should also add interests for the time that they held the money of the consumers. This is only fair.
Read more: MAVCOM Finally Acts to Protect Aviation Consumers
SIRIM bangunkan kaedah periksa status barangan elektrik dan elektronik dibeli dalam talian
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15/02/2021 01:58 PM
SHAH ALAM, 15 Feb -- SIRIM QAS International sedang membangunkan kaedah untuk pengguna memeriksa status barangan elektrik atau elektronik yang dibeli secara dalam talian bagi memastikan barangan terbabit mempunyai kelulusan SIRIM dan Suruhanjaya Tenaga (ST).
Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif SIRIM QAS International Nur Fadhilah Muhammad berkata usaha itu dilihat perlu memandangkan pada masa ini pengguna tidak mempunyai cara untuk berbuat demikian sebelum membuat pembelian barangan terbabit.
“Kaedah tersebut sedang bangunkan dan akan disiapkan secepat mungkin kerana ia amat penting bagi melindungi hak pengguna.
“Buat masa ini, SIRIM hanya mempunyai aplikasi untuk memudahkan pengguna memeriksa barangan elektrik dan elektronik yang dibeli di kedai sahaja,” katanya pada sidang media pelancaran Kempen Kesedaran Keselamatan SIRIM-ST 2021 secara maya hari ini.
Turut hadir pada sidang media maya itu ialah Presiden merangkap Ketua Eksekutif Kumpulan SIRIM Datuk Dr Ahmad Fadzil Mohamad Hani dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif ST Abdul Razib Dawood.
Kempen selama tiga bulan bermula hari ini menerusi platform media sosial SIRIM dan ST itu bertujuan meningkatkan kesedaran masyarakat mengenai kepentingan membeli barangan elektrik dan elektronik yang mendapat kelulusan kedua-dua agensi berkenaan.
Sementara itu, Ahmad Fadzil dalam ucapannya semasa melancarkan kempen tersebut mengingatkan pengguna supaya sentiasa peka dan hanya membeli peralatan elektrik serta elektronik yang diluluskan oleh SIRIM-ST.
“Langkah ini bagi mengelakkan kemalangan atau kebakaran sehingga mengakibatkan kecederaan dan kematian. Hanya label SIRIM-ST dapat mengesahkan barangan yang dibeli pengguna selamat untuk digunakan,” katanya.
Cara-cara jimat elektrik sewaktu cuaca panas
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18/02/2021 02:48 PM
KUALA LUMPUR, 18 Feb -- Cuaca panas yang dijangka berterusan hingga bulan depan boleh menyebabkan penggunaan elektrik yang tinggi, oleh itu Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) hari ini mengeluarkan panduan bagi menjimatkan tenaga elektrik di waktu cuaca panas.
Antara perkara mudah yang boleh diamalkan adalah mematikan penyaman udara, kipas dan lampu di dalam bilik yang kosong serta mematikan suis peralatan elektrik seperti komputer selepas selesai digunakan.
Menurut panduan itu, ketika cuaca panas terik tindakan menutup tingkap dengan langsir tebal boleh menghalang haba masuk dan bebankan pendingin hawa, semakin kurang beban pada penyaman udara untuk menyejukkan bilik, semakin rendah penggunaan elektrik.
Selain itu, menghidupkan kipas pada waktu malam membantu penggerakan udara di dalam bilik selepas beberapa jam penyaman udara dihidupkan, suhu bilik akan berada dalam keadaan selesa dan menetapkan masa untuk mematikan penyaman udara juga boleh menjimatkan penggunaan elektrik.
TNB dalam kenyataan turut menekankan, cuaca yang panas ini boleh dimanfaatkan dengan menjemur pakaian daripada menggunakan mesin pengering pakaian dan elakkan suis alat pemanas air terbuka tanpa digunakan.
Pengguna digalak memilih alat elektrik berlabel cekap tenaga 4 atau 5 bintang oleh Suruhanjaya Tenaga (ST) untuk membantu menjimatkan penggunaan elektrik di kediaman.
Meter Pintar berupaya memantau penggunaan elektrik secara langsung, oleh itu, pengguna boleh mengendalikan tenaga dengan lebih efisien kerana meter ini boleh menghantar maklumat penggunaan tenaga kepada pengguna.
WhatsApp pengerusi NGO Harmonis digodam
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Khamis, 18 Februari 2021 @ 8:50 AM
Kuala Lumpur: "Saya terkejut apabila ramai kenalan menelefon bertanyakan sama ada saya mempunyai masalah kewangan selepas nombor telefon di WhatsApp tidak dapat diakses," kata Pengerusi Pertubuhan Harmoni Masyarakat Melayu Perak (Harmonis) Datuk Rosli Yang Daniyan, 60.
Rosli berkata, beliau hanya menyedari aplikasi WhatsApp yang didaftarkan menggunakan nombor telefonnya tidak dapat diakses, kira-kira 10 pagi, Sabtu lalu.
"Saya mencuba pelbagai cara untuk mendapat akses mesej di WhatsApp termasuk memadamkan serta memuat turun semula aplikasi berkenaan, namun gagal.
"Malah sepanjang proses itu, saya tidak menerima kod pengesahan enam angka seperti kebiasaannya.
"Beberapa jam kemudian, saya menerima panggilan daripada seorang kenalan yang bertanyakan sama ada saya benar-benar memerlukan wang selepas menerima mesej di WhatsApp saya yang kononnya mahu meminjam wang berjumlah RM10,000," katanya ketika dihubungi, hari ini.
Menurutnya, beliau kemudian menerima semakin banyak panggilan telefon daripada rakannya yang memaklumkan perkara sama.
Beliau berkata, lebih 50 kenalannya menghubungi beliau pada Sabtu lalu selepas menerima mesej daripadanya yang mahu meminjam wang antara RM500 hingga RM30,000 di WhatsApp.
"Kebanyakan kenalan saya terus bertindak menelefon saya selepas curiga dengan cara mesej berkenaan ditaip berlainan daripada cara saya.
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