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Do Consumers Need Protection in the Market?

Details: Category: Pendidikan; Hits: 83

Most modern economies, including that of Malaysia, operate primarily through a market system in which buyers and sellers interact freely. Businesses offer goods and services, while consumers purchase them in order to satisfy their needs and wants. In theory, markets should function efficiently: firms compete to provide better products at lower prices, while consumers choose the products that offer the best value.

However, this ideal situation assumes that both buyers and sellers possess equal information about the products being sold. In reality, this assumption rarely holds. Sellers almost always know more about the quality, safety, durability, and performance of a product than the consumer who purchases it. This imbalance—known as information asymmetry—is one of the main reasons consumers require protection in the marketplace.

SIARAN MEDIA: FOMCA MENYOKONG DASAR PENGGUNA NEGARA 2.0: MEMPERKASA PENGGUNA DAN MENEGAKKAN INTEGRITI PASARAN DIGITAL

Details: Category: Memorandum; Hits: 0

FOMCA menyambut baik dan menyokong penuh pelaksanaan Dasar Pengguna Negara 2.0 (DPN 2.0) oleh Kerajaan melalui Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Kos Sara Hidup (KPDN) sebagai satu langkah strategik yang amat diperlukan dalam menghadapi realiti baharu ekonomi digital.

Hari ini, landskap kepenggunaan telah berubah sepenuhnya. Jika sebelum ini pengguna beroperasi dalam persekitaran kedai fizikal dan pusat beli-belah, kini pengguna berinteraksi dalam ekosistem digital yang melibatkan platform dalam talian, kecerdasan buatan (AI), algoritma dan rangkaian global tanpa sempadan. Bersama perubahan ini, risiko utama juga telah berubah daripada isu harga dan kualiti asas kepada cabaran baharu seperti manipulasi pasaran, eksploitasi data, penipuan digital dan scam.

Sehubungan itu, FOMCA melihat DPN 2.0 sebagai satu dasar yang penting kerana ia bukan sahaja mengiktiraf perubahan ini, tetapi turut memperkenalkan pendekatan yang lebih menyeluruh untuk melindungi pengguna dalam era digital.

PRESS RELEASE: FOMCA SUPPORTS NATIONAL CONSUMER POLICY 2.0: EMPOWERING CONSUMERS AND ENSURING DIGITAL MARKET INTEGRITY

Details: Category: Memorandum; Hits: 46

FOMCA welcomes and fully supports the Government’s implementation of the National Consumer Policy 2.0 (DPN 2.0) through the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living as a critical and forward-looking step in addressing the realities of today’s digital economy.

The consumer landscape has fundamentally transformed. Where consumers once operated within physical retail environments, they are now engaging within a digital ecosystem driven by online platforms, artificial intelligence (AI), algorithms and borderless global networks. Alongside this shift, the nature of risks has also evolved from basic concerns of price and product quality to more complex challenges such as market manipulation, data exploitation, digital fraud and scams.

In this context, FOMCA views DPN 2.0 as a vital policy that not only acknowledges these changes but provides a more comprehensive framework to protect consumers in the digital era.

A key pillar of the policy is strengthening consumer literacy as the first line of defence. In an increasingly complex environment, consumer protection can no longer rely on reactive measures. Consumers must be equipped to understand their rights as digital users, identify risks of manipulation and fraud, and take appropriate action to safeguard themselves and their assets.

Fomca: Freebies can cloud honest reviews

Details: Category: Berita Pengguna; Hits: 0

PETALING JAYA: A freebie for a quick review or rating may seem like a harmless perk, but consumer advocates are of the view that this could jeopardise what should be honest feedback.

The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) views the growing practice with caution, noting that it touches on a fundamental consumer right – the ability to access information that is accurate and not misleading.

Read more: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2026/04/27/fomca-freebies-can-cloudhonest-reviews

Enough chicken and eggs, but veggies in short supply

Details: Category: Isu Makanan; Hits: 47

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia still has a comfortable supply of its main protein sources – chicken and eggs – but faces challenges in local production of staple foods such as rice, which analysts say meets only 63% of national demand.
In a research note, BIMB Securities Research said the country is even more dependent on vegetable imports, with a self-sufficiency level of only 45%.

“This makes vegetable prices more vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and rising import costs,” Berita Harian reported the research house as saying today.BIMB Securities Research noted that Malaysia has a 104.1% self-sufficiency rate for chicken, and 119.1% for eggs.

Source link: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/04/24/enough-chicken-and-eggs-but-veggies-in-short-supply

Pikom backs nuclear, solar to power Malaysian data centres

Details: Category: Alam Sekitar - Tenaga; Hits: 61

PETALING JAYA: The National Tech Association of Malaysia (Pikom) sees nuclear energy and solar energy as among the possible long-term options to support Malaysia’s growing data centre industry amid rising power demand.Its chairman, Alex Liew, said the sector remains stable for now despite concerns over the global energy crisis and the high energy consumption of data centres.

“But for the long-term, we can have some alternative energy like solar. Maybe we should also go for nuclear energy,” he said at the launch of a report titled “Beyond Compliance: The State of Cyber Resilience in Malaysia 2026” at the Future of Cybersecurity Summit here today.Liew said the existing grid may come under pressure in the future if Malaysia relies solely on current power sources to support data centre demand.

Source link: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/04/23/pikom-backs-nuclear-solar-to-power-malaysian-data-centres

AI won’t take all our jobs, judging by history and economics

Details: Category: Berita Pengguna; Hits: 0

Every major technological breakthrough brings with it a familiar wave of anxiety.

Today, artificial intelligence (AI) has taken centrestage as the supposed forerunner of mass unemployment. From automated writing tools to self-driving systems, the fear is that machines are not just replacing tasks, but entire professions.

The impression is that this time, unlike before, the jobs simply will not come back.It is an understandable concern. But it is also one that history and sound economic reasoning suggest is deeply misguided.The idea that technology destroys jobs faster than it creates them is not new. In the early 19th century, English textile workers known as Luddites smashed mechanised looms out of fear that automation would render their skills obsolete.

Source link : https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2026/04/23/ai-wont-take-all-our-jobs-judging-by-history-and-economics

30pc of padi farmers to skip planting season, says group

Details: Category: Isu Kewangan; Hits: 47

About 30 per cent of padi farmers in the country are expected to skip the new planting season due to rising operational costs, said Malaysian Padi Farmers Association.

Its chairman, Abdul Rashid Yob, said yesterday many of the estimated 200,000 farmers were struggling with higher costs, particularly from diesel price hikes.

He said some farmers chose to halt planting while others pivoted to alternative crops such as corn, vegetables or oil palm.

Source link : https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2026/04/1424165/30pc-padi-farmers-skip-planting-season-says-group?topicID=1&articleID=1424165#google_vignette

Ekonomi Mencabar, Pengguna Pilih Kelestarian

Details: Category: Berita Pengguna; Hits: 0

KUALA LUMPUR, 24 April (Bernama) -- Cabaran ekonomi hari ini menyerlahkan ketahanan dan kebijaksanaan rakyat Malaysia dengan beralih kepada amalan lestari yang bukan sahaja berjaya mengurangkan beban kewangan, malah membentuk komuniti lebih prihatin terhadap ekosistem demi generasi akan datang.

Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Gabungan Persatuan-Persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (FOMCA) Dr T Saravanan berkata walaupun pihaknya menerima peningkatan aduan berkaitan kenaikan harga barangan berbungkus, situasi tersebut secara tidak langsung telah memperkukuh kesedaran orang ramai terhadap hak mereka sebagai pengguna.

Beliau berkata pengguna lebih peka terhadap tindakan peniaga yang menaikkan harga barangan dengan alasan peningkatan kos plastik sebagai produk sampingan petroleum seterusnya mengambil inisiatif bagi mengurangkan kebergantungan terhadap plastik.

“Apa yang positif ialah 'tekanan poket' ini telah mendorong ramai pengguna mengubah tabiat ke arah kelestarian seperti mengitar semula beg plastik lama atau membawa beg sendiri dari rumah.

https://bernama.com/bm/am/news.php?id=2549025

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