I refer to the deputy finance minister’s statement yesterday that the government has been persuaded to allow Malaysian telcos to charge six percent more on prepaid mobile reloads while giving users more airtime credit, and further to the disclosure that the decision was made in consultation with the telcos.

Did it occur to the deputy minister and the Communication and Multimedia Consumer Forum (CFM) to consult consumers, if not through public feedback at least via consumer advocates?

The CFM appears keen to explain the rules to us dumb consumers. Has it spared a thought about who makes the rules and whether they are fair to all? Since the telcos previously paid the service tax, why their unusual greed and why the CFM’s ready consent to this price increase?

The CFM reportedly declared that telcos will give qualified users “free minutes and sms”.

Mobile users are aware, though the CFM  may be clueless, that users are already loaded with useless “free minutes” way beyond their needs. This leads to a build-up of useless “credits” simply because there are severe time restrictions on their usage validity. The last thing we need is more “free minutes and sms”.

To make matters worse, telcos allegedly rip-off mobiles users through a number of ploys. The dropped calls issue highlighted in the media some time ago is just one of them. No study is available on how much the illicit takings of these companies are, but it must be in the tens of millions of ringgit monthly. So far, they seem to have successfully fended off consumer outrage by paying off in five- and 10-ringgit amounts the few individuals who actually complain.

I will be among millions of Malaysians that  welcome any initiative towards a public interest legal action against such practices that results in a punitive fine.

In the meanwhile, it is hoped that the CFM and the deputy minister will pay more attention to the interests of consumers and not only put a stop to the latest attempt to fleece mobile users but also to the long-standing unfair practices of this oligopoly industry.