To:
All candidates of the 12th Malaysian General Election,
Political parties in Malaysia,
The future federal and state governments and the
Malaysian rakyat .
Presented below for your kind perusal and action is Fomca’s memorandum for the 12 th general election.
Development of consumerism
1. Annual operational grants to consumer associations on per capita basis.
2. Continuous Consumer Education Programs emphasizing Sustainable Consumption should be supported by the government. These programs should be made foundation for moral studies, religious studies, and living skill education.
3. Develop an education system that stresses consumer education from pre-school to tertiary education. Consumer education will encompass subjects and issues ranging from health, food safety, sustainable consumption, product safety and labeling, pricing, etc.
4. Establish a dedicated Consumer Affairs Department under the Prime Minister’s Department to differentiate departmental functionality which is currently ambiguous under the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs.
5. Establish a Price Commission as a central body to address, monitor, and discuss issues of rising prices of goods and services.
6. Expansion of hypermarkets should be controlled as it is not environmental-friendly and promotes wastage, and also jeopardizes the livelihood of neighborhood grocery shops.
Housing
7. Establish a Housing Bank to support home ownership of young working consumers through bank savings. The bank will manage and assess housing needs based on the status and needs of households.
8. All housing projects to be developed based on the built-and-sell concept to eradicate the issue of abandoned housing and late completion.
9. All new housing projects should incorporate rainwater harvesting system and existing housing need to incorporate gradually through incentives.
10. All housing and development projects must practice energy-saving construction. Amendments should be made under Uniform Building By-Laws to facilitate the practice.
11. The Tribunal for Homebuyer Claims should be established across the country.
Utilities/Toll
12. The government must ensure a clean, safe, affordable and uninterrupted supply of water to consumers.
13. A fixed toll rate should be developed – toll concessions should be thoroughly revised or extended.
14. Utility tariffs of water and electricity should be controlled for it to be affordable to the lower income group.
15. Utility services should not implement a prepaid system and utility companies should manage its customer debts in a more socially acceptable and humanitarian manner.
Local authorities
16. Council members of the Local Council to be appointed in accordance to the Athinahapan Commission.
Public transportation
17. The public transport system nationwide to be upgraded to be more comfortable, reliable and affordable. This will reduce traffic congestion and also the usage of fossil fuel.
Energy
18. The usage of renewable energy should be encouraged and adequate funds allocated for extensive technology development.
19. The renewable energy sector should be developed sustainably. Pusat Tenaga Malaysia should be given more authority and relocated under the Economic Planning Unit.
Banking
20. The Ministry of Finance and Central Bank should monitor and control banking services from overcharging.
Environment
21. Hill-side development projects should be prohibited.
22. Green procurement should be practiced by all government departments in accordance to Agenda 21.
23. Projects that have an impact on the environment and the DEIA report must obtain the approval of relevant stakeholders.
24. The monopoly of industries must cease. The government should ensure that all sectors have healthy competition for the provision of quality goods and services, at a stable price.
25. The government should revise the proposal to built incinerators in the country. Full implementation of 3R concept and solid waste management under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management, there would not be a need for incinerators.
26. The creation of a sustainable consumption culture should be a solution to the issue of subsidy and supply shortages. The government should move towards sustainable production through sustainable consumption.
27. The usage of plastic bags should be reduced in all supermarkets and shops.
28. Gazetted forest reserves should not be allowed any form of development activities at any scale.
Intellectual property
29. The government should promote the access to copyright materials for educational purposes.
Food safety
30. The labeling of genetically modified organisms (GMO) must be comprehensive to include the method of production.
Health
31. The government should adopt the Patients Charter developed by FOMCA together with other medical fraternities (Malaysia Medical Association, Malaysia Dental Association, and Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society) to ensure that all medical premises are furnished with the Charter and healthcare professionals abide by it.
32. The government should review the Fees Schedule under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act to ensure that healthcare is affordable and accessible by all consumers. The Fees Schedule should also be visibly displayed for consumers to obtain information of the fee charges prior to any medical treatment conducted.
33. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control must be fully implemented after its ratification in 2005. A National Tobacco Control Policy should be developed and requirements of the FCTC such as compulsory labeling of warning graphic covering at 50% of tobacco/cigarette packs must be followed through.
34. Breastfeeding should be extensively encouraged in all government and private hospitals.
Product safety
35. The safety standard for all electrical products and children toys should be made compulsory, as the minister is empowered to enforce safety standards of products under clause 19 of the Consumer Protection Act 1999.
36. Control and eliminate the selling of counterfeit drugs and medicines. The rampant sale of counterfeit medicines especially from Indonesia and China must be eradicated through regularly checks and strict enforcement by the relevant authorities are in the market.
37. The selling of poor quality products should be controlled.
Finance
38. Strict enforcement must be taken against organizers, sponsors, and supporters of get-rich quick schemes.
Trade
39. The production, importation, and supply of food products/essential goods should not be limited to the control of small group of suppliers.
40. The current free trade agreement negotiations with the US should be thoroughly reviewed and a cost-benefit analysis of the socio-economic impact must be done and the made public. Civil society should be formally involved and allowed to participate in the negotiation process for transparency and public accountability.
41. Petronas should be placed under the purview of the Parliament and its annual account must be made public.
Social
42. The annual national health budget should be increased to 5% of GDP, as recommended by WHO for developing countries.
43. All withdrawal schemes from the Employment Provident Fund (EPF) before retirement age should be ceased, as the money saved is critical to support the livelihood of retirees.
44. The minimum wage for workers should be between RM1,200-RM1,500 to support current high cost of living.
45. The planning and implementation of the National Health Financing Scheme must be thoroughly discussed, taking into account the inputs of all the stakeholders such as consumers.
46. The usage of ICT should available and affordable to all rakyat for their daily use.
Education
47. Free education to be provided from primary school until first degree in public universities.
48. The 3% interest/administrative charge for PTPTN loan borrowers should be abolished as it burdens newly working graduates.
49. The PTPTN loans for high-achieving students should to be converted into a scholarship to promote excellence.
Agriculture
50. The 800,000 hectares of idle land should be developed for agricultural cultivation to reduce the country’s dependence on imported foods.
Law
51. The Fair Trade Act should be developed to control profiteering in the market.
52. Consumer monetary claims from the Consumer Claims Tribunal should be raised to RM100,000 and RM150,000 for the Tribunal for Homebuyer Claims.
53. A Halal Products Act should be established to ensure products sold to consumers are halal through scientific validation and approval by the relevant authorities
The writer is director of communication, Fomca.
