‘Ensure abolition of Act good for consumers’

KUALA LUMPUR: Consumer groups want the Government to protect the interests of the consumers as it mulls over a possible abolition or change in the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) president Datuk Marimuthu Nadason said there should be evidence to show that the Act was not beneficial.

“We need to study it and show proof of its disadvantages,” he said when contacted. “Just because one industry is saying that, are you going to dump it on 30 million consumers?”

Fomca, he said, would get its experts to study the issue for rebuttal.

Marimuthu said the Act did serve as a form of protection to the consumers.

“At least there is a minimum and maximum price control under the Act. Look at the recent chicken situation in Kelantan, it went up to RM30 per bird.

“If the Government really wants to look into free trade, let us all look at it very carefully,” he added.

Consumers Association of Penang president S.M. Mohamed Idris said the Act had done its role to regulate businesses.

“There had been action taken under the Act and it was a good move (to have the Act),” he said.

“Would the Government abolish it just because the industry says that?”

Despite the concern over consumer rights, the Malaysian Muslim Consumer Association believed that educating consumers was more important than the Act.

Its chief activist Datuk Nadzim Johan said Malaysian consumers were often ignorant of their rights.

“If you empower the consumers with knowledge, that will protect them more than the Act does. I don’t really see that much of a difference with the Act.

“People are still getting cheated by industries. Whatever you do, you must empower the consumers first,” he said.