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KUALA LUMPUR, July 10
Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) should increase its water reserve margin for at least three days during the upcoming upgrading works to avoid water supply disruption which is expected to affect 420,000 user accounts.
Malaysian Water Forum (MWF) president Saral James Maniam, in calling for proactive action, said Air Selangor should also consider continual improvement planning ideas to be implemented.
“Stop burdening consumers and businesses from time to time. It is time to improve and learn from countries such as Singapore where consumers hardly face any water disruptions due to maintenance or upgrading of facilities by the authorities,” she said in a statement today.
According to Air Selangor, the Selangor River Treatment Plant (LRA) Phase 3 (LRA SSP3) upgrading works from July 14 to 17 were needed to replace several major pipelines to improve the water supply system and plant operation’s efficiency.
Read more: Press Release: Air Selangor should increase its water reserve margin - NGO
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July 9, 2020 @ 3:20pm
KUALA LUMPUR: The Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations has urged borrowers who do not have the capacity to service their loans to get in touch with their banks soon.
"If you have genuine concerns about not being able to make the payments after Sept 30, contact the banks as soon as possible to explain your situation and seek to re-negotiate your loan.
"Don't wait for September to communicate with the banks or wait for the banks to communicate with you," said Fomca president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason.
He was drawing on the moratorium for loan repayments that ends on Sept 30.
Marimuthu said the federation hoped that the banks would act with compassion and expressed confidence that Bank Negara Malaysia(BNM) would direct the banks to do so.
He also said those with a number of loans in a few banks can seek the help of the Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency's (AKPK).
Read more: Don't wait until September to tell banks you can't pay
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09 JUL 2020 / 15:36 H.
PETALING JAYA: Employees who are affected by salary cuts or retrenchment and need to service their loan repayments, are advised to liaise with their banks.
The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) has urged these individuals to engage with their banks now instead of waiting until September, when the moratorium period ends.
“If you have genuine concerns about not being able to make the payments after Sept 30, contact the bank as soon as possible to explain your situation and seek to re-negotiate your loan. Negotiate honestly to find the best way forward,” Fomca’s president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason said in a statement today.
For those servicing multiple loans with various banks, he suggests contacting the Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK) for assistance.
Read more: Loan payment: Fomca urges employees affected by pay cuts to speak with their banks
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09/07/2020 06:10 PM
KUALA LUMPUR, 9 Julai -- Gabungan Persatuan-persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (Fomca) meminta pengguna menghubungi bank masing-masing secepat mungkin untuk berunding sekiranya mereka tidak dapat membuat pembayaran pinjaman, apabila berakhirya tempoh moratorium kelak.
Presiden Fomca, Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason juga menasihatkan pengguna untuk tidak menunggu sehingga September untuk berkomunikasi dengan pihak bank dan mereka harus menjelaskan keadaan mereka secara jujur.
"Fomca berharap agar bank-bank bersimpati. Fomca yakin bahawa Bank Negara akan mengarahkan bank-bank untuk bertindak dengan penuh bertimbang rasa. Berundinglah dengan jujur untuk mencari jalan penyelesian terbaik demi masa depan.
"Namun, jika anda beranggapan tindakan bank-bank berkenaan tidak berhati perut, usah ragu-ragu untuk membuat aduan rasmi kepada Bank Negara. Menjadi harapan kami agar Bank Negara dapat bertindak dengan pantas dan berkesan menangani aduan dan isu masalah pengguna,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan di sini, hari ini.
Read more: Pasca Moratorium: Usah tunggu sehingga September untuk hubungi bank
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July 3, 2020 @ 11:24am
KUALA LUMPUR: Consumer associations believe that the government's move to extend the discount for electricity use for domestic users until the end of the year will greatly help people cope with financial difficulties.
However, they also believe that it was incumbent on the people to adapt to the new normal and manage their energy consumption.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief operating officer, Saravanan Thambirajah, said the move would benefit the public, especially those who had been financially hit by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the move came on the heels of several government announcements to help people, including the National Economic Stimulus Package, Bantuan Prihatin and the Bantuan Prihatin Elektrik.
"We've seen retrenchments take place. People are losing their sources of income, so this will help them survive for at least the next six months.
"Consumers will benefit from this discount extension, in which they will not see any surcharge on their electricity bills. With this move, people will have extra money and able to use it for other purposes."
The Energy and Natural Resources Ministry, in a statement yesterday, announced that discounts for electricity usage for domestic users would be extended until the end of the year.
Read more: Consumer groups laud move to extend electricity discount
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Thursday, July 2nd, 2020
IN a recent investigative expose on how fake goods in Malaysia are putting lives in danger, it was reported that this country had the “biggest market” for counterfeit liquor.
A municipal councillor in Penang who has been spearheading a movement against bootleg alcohol for the past six years, P David Marshel, shared that many people found the original products expensive.
Priced out of their budget, they turn to moonshine options which are 70% to 80% cheaper.
Malaysia also ranked number one globally for trading in illegal cigarettes (59%), followed by Brazil (50%), according to an Oxford Economics report titled The Economics of the Illicit Tobacco Trade in Malaysia (June 2019).
However, these figures have since increased to 65%, meaning seven out of 10 cigarettes sold in this country are illegal. Approximately 12.2 billion illegal sticks were estimated to have been sold and consumed here in 2019 alone.
This is an alarming ratio, given the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics which stated that one in every 10 cigarettes and tobacco products consumed globally is estimated to be illicit, with a total of 132 billion illicit cigarettes consumed over 57 countries.
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Wednesday, July 1st, 2020
CONSUMERS adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic risk facing serious financial issues including bankruptcy if a loan moratorium extension is not granted, said experts.
The pandemic has seen many companies implementing pay cuts and layoffs in order to cope with the Movement Control Order (MCO), which brought many businesses to a sharp halt as only essential sectors were allowed to operate in order to curb the spread of the virus.
The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (FOMCA) president Datuk Dr Marimuthu Nadason said individuals and businesses need at least another three months of the loan moratorium, in order to get back on their feet and find employment as the economy slowly recovers.
“For more than three months, many of them were out of income or had their monthly wages slashed. Some people could not even survive for more than two months when they are out of work,” he told The Malaysian Reserve (TMR).
“If the moratorium is not extended, by the first quarter of 2021, some businesses may face bankruptcy and it would also take a toll on younger individuals.”
Read more: Consumers risk bankruptcy if loan moratorium not extended
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KUALA LUMPUR: Rang Undang-Undang COVID-19 (Langkah Sementara) bagi mengurangkan impak penularan COVID-19 perlu juga mempunyai klausa yang melindungi hak pengguna dan pembeli rumah di negara ini.
Perkara itu disuarakan dua persatuan yang mewakili pembeli rumah dan pengguna yang mahu kerajaan menyediakan klausa khas mengenai jaminan dan kebajikan pembeli rumah dan hartanah yang terkesan dengan pandemik COVID-19.
Ia termasuk mereka yang sudah membayar deposit atau menandatangani perjanjian jual beli tetapi tidak dapat meneruskan pembelian sama ada kerana diberhentikan kerja, dipotong gaji atau diarah cuti tanpa gaji.
Timbalan Presiden Gabungan Persatuan-Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA), Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman, berkata sewajarnya ada klausa dalam RUU itu yang menjaga kebajikan pengguna dan pembeli terutama dalam hal urusan jual beli kediaman.
Katanya, seharusnya kerajaan menimbangkan perkara itu selain klausa melindungi pemaju yang gagal menyiapkan projek daripada diambil tindakan akibat pandemik COVID-19.
"Saya percaya ada pembeli rumah yang sudah membuat bayaran deposit untuk pembelian rumah terpaksa membatalkan niat itu kerana tidak mampu berikutan kehilangan kerja. Maka kumpulan ini perlu dibela," katanya kepada BH ketika dihubungi semalam.
Read more: RUU COVID-19: Hak pengguna, pembeli rumah perlu dilindungi
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KUALA LUMPUR: Gabungan Persatuan-Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA) berpandangan lanjutan tiga bulan moratorium kepada golongan terjejas akibat krisis penularan COVID-19 wajar diberikan.
Timbalan Presidennya, Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman, berkata ini kerana lanjutan itu memberi masa kepada pihak berkenaan seperti yang diberhentikan kerja untuk mencari peluang pekerjaan atau sumber pendapatan lain, tanpa perlu risau memikirkan komitmen hutang kepada bank.
"FOMCA amat bersetuju dengan cadangan ini (lanjutan moratorioum). Jika pihak bank boleh beri lanjutan selama tiga bulan sehingga akhir tahun ini kepada pihak terjejas, saya percaya ia akan banyak membantu mereka dari segi aliran kewangan.
"Malah, bantuan moratorium sedang dilaksanakan ketika ini banyak membantu rakyat Malaysia terutama yang terjejas teruk dengan krisis COVID-19," katanya ketika dihubungi BH, hari ini.
Menteri Kewangan, Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, hari ini berkata hanya golongan sasar yang terjejas akan menerima moratorium sekiranya ia dilanjutkan, bukan lagi secara automatik kepada semua seperti sebelum ini.
Read more: FOMCA setuju lanjutan moratorium untuk golongan terjejas
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25 Jun 2020 10:25AM
ACCORDING to the Statistics Department, Malaysian domestic access to the internet rose to 90.1% in 2019 compared to 87% in 2018; a rise of 3.5%. The percentage of households’ access to mobile phones was at 98.2% in 2019.
The five most popular activities among internet users were social networking (97.1%), downloading pictures, movies, videos or music or downloading games (84.7%), finding information for goods and services (83.5%), telephoning over the internet (77.4%) and downloading software or applications (77.1%). Clearly, many Malaysians are using the internet and their mobile phones as an integral part of their daily lifestyle.
Certainly, the online world brings many benefits. Social media, for example, assists in making social connections, seeking relevant personal information, for example on health or new recipes, and for many students it is a useful resource in education.
But the online world carries its own risks. And children are the most susceptible to these risks endangering their psychological and mental wellbeing and even their relationships.
These risks include cyberbullying, cyber predators getting access to personally identifiable information, phishing, posting personal details that may come back to have a negative impact on you in the future and many forms of scams.
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