'Barang bersubsidi disalah guna, rakyat yang susah'
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Julai 4, 2022 @ 7:39pm
KUALA LUMPUR: Penguatkuasaan perlu ditingkatkan bagi mengesan penyalahgunaan subsidi barang selain penyeludupan barang bersubsidi hingga menyebabkan bekalan barang berkurangan di pasaran tempatan.
Perkara itu disuarakan dua persatuan peniaga yang melihat isu bekalan barang bersubsidi tidak akan selesai walaupun kerajaan mengambil pelbagai pendekatan membantu rakyat terutama kumpulan B40 dan M40 kesan kenaikan harga akibat cabaran ekonomi global.
Presiden Persatuan Peruncit Bumiputera (BRO), Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin, berkata sudah tiba masanya kerajaan meningkatkan penguatkuasaan di sempadan bagi menyekat penyeludupan barang bersubsidi seperti minyak masak paket berikutan peningkatan RM4 bilion subsidi bahan makanan itu.
Dalam isu minyak masak paket, katanya, bekalan tidak bermasalah dan pembekal serta pengedar masih membekalkan kepada peniaga mengikut kuota ditetapkan.
"Bekalan masih tiba sampai mengikut masa ditetapkan. Setakat ini, pengedar dan pembekal mengikut waktu yang ditetapkan.
'Masalahnya, bekalan minyak bersubsidi ini tidak pernah cukup walaupun subsidi ditingkatkan dua kali ganda kerana berlaku ketirisan apabila ada yang mengambil kesempatan menyeludup ke luar negara.
"Malah, saya diberitahu minyak bersubsidi ini turut dihantar ke negara di Afrika,' katanya kepada BH.
Beliau mengulas usaha kerajaan memberikan subsidi RM77.3 bilion meliputi petrol, diesel, LPG, minyak masak, tepung dan tarif elektrik.
Ameer berkata, isu minyak masak berpaket tidak akan selesai selagi kerajaan memberi subsidi untuk bahan makanan itu, menyebabkan ada pihak mengambil kesempatan dengan menyalahgunakannya.
Read more: 'Barang bersubsidi disalah guna, rakyat yang susah'
'Chicken prices may soar if floated'
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June 16, 2022 @ 7:05pm
PUTRAJAYA: Chicken prices are expected to rise next month when the floating price system begins following the end of the maximum retail price scheme on June 30.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said due to the possibility of chicken price hikes, the Finance Ministry planned to provide aid to the needy, with the plan set to be finalised by the end of the month.
"The Finance Ministry will do something to help those in need," he told a press conference after the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry's monthly assembly here today.
The government has set the maximum retail price of standard chicken at RM8.90 per kg and super chicken (slaughtered and cleaned without legs, head, liver and gizzard) at RM9.90 per kg.
Previously, chicken breeders had expressed their hope that the government would allow the floating of chicken prices after it decided to end subsidies for breeders from July 1.
Nanta reminded industry players not to take advantage of the floating price by raising the price of chicken arbitrarily.
He said the ministry would monitor prices and errant traders would face action under the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.
'Buy now, pay later' risks debt increase
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April 10, 2022 @ 4:41pm
LETTERS: The enactment of the Consumer Credit Act by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) this year aims to strengthen the regulatory arrangements for all consumer credit activities including "Buy Now, Pay Later" (BNPL) scheme providers.
The concept of BNPL is similar to the traditional method of shopping whereby consumers could only own the item after relevant instalments or full payment has been made.
BNPL is a type of short-term financing that essentially allows consumers to purchase with 0 per cent interest via monthly instalments.
Some platforms offer deferral of payment until the end of the month or allow payment in the following month.
Some BNPL players charge interest or a penalty fee if the consumer makes a late payment.
Consumers are required to have a good credit score in order to apply for a credit card.
Hence, one of the reasons consumers consider BNPL is because a good credit score is needless. Therefore, consumers can apply for the BNPL scheme even if their credit score is below average.
Besides, consumers' monthly budget would not be affected as large payments can be made regularly. For example, RM3,000 is needed to purchase a new mobile phone after it breaks down.
Consumers do not have to use their emergency savings and may enjoy a monthly instalment of RM1,000 per month.
'Aduhai cik misi, RM94,000 lesap...'
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Jun 8, 2021 @ 11:23pm
Port Dickson: Seorang jururawat mendakwa kerugian RM94,000 akibat ditipu sindiket Macau Scam.
Ketua Polis Daerah Port Dickson, Superintendan Aidi Sham Mohamed berkata, wanita berusia 31 trahun itu membuat laporan polis pada 5 Jun lalu mendakwa ditipu sindiket menyamar sebagai pegawai Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (LHDN).
"Mangsa menerima panggilan daripada nombor talian mudah alih yang mendakwa daripada LHDN dan memaklumkan dia mempunyai tunggakan cukai RM38,600.90 berkaitan syarikat didaftarkan atas namanya.
"Mangsa menafikan perkara ini dan panggilan disambungkan ke Ibu Pejabat Polis Kontinjen (IPK) Kuantan untuk tujuan membuat laporan polis secara dalam talian," katanya dalam kenyataan media, hari ini.
Beliau berkata, mangsa kemudiannya bercakap dengan pegawai polis berpangkat Asisten Komisioner dan diminta untuk memuat turun pautan aplikasi MyBNM.
Menurutnya, dalam aplikasi itu, pengadu kemudiannya memasukkan butiran nama dan nombor kad pengenalan miliknya.
"Aplikasi ini dikatakan untuk tujuan keselamatan supaya wang di dalam akaun mangsa tidak ditolak untuk tunggakan cukai itu.
"Bagaimanapun, apabila membuat semakan dengan pihak bank, wanita itu mendapati wang simpanan di dalam salah satu akaun miliknya sudah dipindahkan kepada beberapa akaun tidak dikenali dalam 11 transaksi dengan jumlah keseluruhan RM94,000," katanya.
Beliau berkata, kes disiasat mengikut Seksyen 420 Kanun Keseksaan iaitu menipu yang memperuntukkan hukuman penjara maksimum 10 tahun dan sebat dan boleh didenda jika sabit kesalahan.
'Bukan pakej pelaburan kami'
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SHAH ALAM - Hijrahwealth Management Sdn Bhd menafikan satu promosi pakej pelaburan di bawah Hijrah Investment Plan yang sedang tular di media sosial.
Pengarahnya, Rohani Mohd Shahir berkata, promosi tersebut memaparkan beberapa pakej yang ditawarkan antaranya Silver, Gold dan Platinum.
"Promosi itu turut menyatakan modal pelaburan sebanyak RM300, RM1,300, RM3,000 dan pulangan yang dijanjikan adalah dalam masa 24 jam sebanyak RM9,800, RM27,000 dan RM51,000.
"Pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab ini telah menggunakan logo syarikat, salinan Sijil Pendaftaran Syarikat kami dengan niat menarik perhatian orang ramai untuk melabur dengan menjanjikan pulangan yang tinggi dan tidak munasabah dalam tempoh hanya 24 jam," katanya menerusi kenyataan pada Sabtu.
Rohani berkata, pihaknya telah membuat laporan polis berhubung perkara tersebut.
"Kami berharap orang ramai tidak terperdaya dengan tipu daya scammer ini.
"Logo-logo lain yang terdapat di iklan ini termasuk logo Bank Negara Malaysia, Bursa Kuala Lumpur, Patuh Syariah, Angkasa dan tanda Halal Jakim," katanya.
Menurutnya, orang ramai yang mahu mendapatkan maklumat lanjut boleh menghubungi pihak HijrahWealth di 03-4270 5740/4740 atau talian hotline 011-5357 1263 / 011-2367 1805 untuk keterangan lanjut," katanya.
Sumber: https://www.sinarharian.com.my/article/131855/BERITA/Semasa/Bukan-pakej-pelaburan-kami
'Conservation should be a school subject'
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April 19, 2021 @ 9:15am
THE government should introduce environmental conservation as a subject in schools, with a focus on education and awareness of the economic, social and environmental impact of food wastage.
Environmentalist Dr Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir said this was a viable long-term solution to problems associated with plastic and food waste.
Failure to do this, she said, would result in food waste remaining a perennial issue, especially during festive periods such as Ramadan and Hari Raya.
Sharifah Mazlina, who is Permata Greenland Organisation chairman, said it was crucial that good habits to stop food waste were inculcated among Malaysians at a young age.
She said this would help protect the environment and slow global warming.
"The school syllabus has to include a subject on environmental conservation, covering consequences and preventive actions to reduce food waste in schools.
"The authorities can emulate countries such as Canada and Japan, where such a move has helped create a society that values food and cares for the environment."
Sharifah Mazlina, who is also chairman of the All Women's Empowerment to Accelerate, was responding to concerns raised by Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man over increasing food waste recorded during the fasting month.
'Covid-19 screening pricey due to rampant profiteering' - FOMCA
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February 3, 2021 @ 9:30am
KUALA LUMPUR: ConsumeR groups are urging the government to set a price cap on Covid-19 screening as a move to encourage mass community testing.
They claimed that allowing healthcare facilities to set their own prices for screening had resulted in rampant profiteering.
A survey by the Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) found that the cost for Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (Rt-PCR) test started from as low as RM100 and could go up to RM580, while the cost for screening using the Rapid Test Kit-Antigen (RTK-Antigen) ranged from RM50 to RM350.
Fomca president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason said it was high time the government standardised the cost for Covid-19 tests, similar to how the price for face masks was capped under controlled items.
"We are facing (a health) emergency, yet many irresponsible healthcare facilities are cashing in on the crisis by charging exorbitant fees for the tests.
"This profiteering must stop. The cost for RTK-Ag test should be capped at RM70 maximum," he told the New Straits Times yesterday.
Although the Rt-PCR test is considered more accurate, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had, on Jan 22, twittered that the RTK-Ag could be used as a confirmed test result if the healthcare system was overburdened.
He said the RTK-Ag test could be used when the turnaround time for Rt-PCR test was longer than 72 hours or when the Rt-PCR test was not available.
However, he said, the RTK-Ag test kit must have a sensitivity of more than 80 per cent, and the kit's specificity should exceed 97 per cent.
Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye called on the government to place the RTK-Ag test kit as a price-controlled item to lower the screening cost.
Read more: 'Covid-19 screening pricey due to rampant profiteering' - FOMCA
'Compel insurance firms to cover Covid-19 treatment'
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January 21, 2021 @ 9:00am
KUALA LUMPUR: Private hospitals are urging the government to compel insurance companies to revise their policies and cover the treatment cost of Covid-19 patients.
Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said this was the most decent solution in light of the state of emergency.
"Rejecting patients for us means coughing up fines up to RM5 million or jail time.
"While we are happy to help the government, some of us will take in patients at the risk of going belly-up.
"But the same is not expected of insurance companies."
"The government has to make similar demands (with the insurance companies) so that we can treat them without burdening taxpayers," Dr Kuljit told the New Straits Times.
He was referring to new laws under the state of emergency which allow the government to direct private hospitals to take in Covid-19 patients and give public healthcare facilities some breathing space.
Earlier, Dr Kuljit appealed to the government to consider the plight of insurance policyholders who could not go to hospitals that were full and had no option but to come to private facilities and pay out of their own pocket.
Read more: 'Compel insurance firms to cover Covid-19 treatment'
ย Fomca: Crisis shows reserve deficiency
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September 7, 2020 @ 11:15am
KUALA LUMPUR: As far as Klang Valley's water woes are concerned, history is repeating itself.
It is always the same old story โ some irresponsible party dumps effluents into raw water sources and millions of people are left without water.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason urged agencies and authorities involved in the supply chain of water regulation and distribution to undertake serious soul-searching over the latest incident involving Sungai Selangor.
He said for starters, the recent crisis reprised a fundamental concern, in that there was a need for sufficient water reserves should a water supply crisis strike again.
Source: https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2020/09/622507/fomca-crisis-shows-reserve-deficiency
'Despite ceiling price, masks still too costly'
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August 12, 2020 @ 10:59am
KUALA LUMPUR: A consumer group said the proposed RM1 per unit retail price for three-ply face masks is still too high.
Members of the public, however, were of the opinion that a lower price could affect the quality of the essential item.
Malaysian Muslim Consumer Association lead activist Datuk Nadzim Johan said the price should be between 10 sen and 50 sen per piece.
"We have to consider the large families and bottom 40 per cent income group (B40) communities.
"Imagine a family of nine, with a daily household income of about RM150 per day. They can't afford to buy face masks in bulk. They will struggle to buy face masks.
"And you can't reuse the masks. The government should consider the financial situation of this group."
He urged the government to reconsider the ceiling price of RM1 as even at that price, some groups could not afford it.
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