June 2011 – Consumers Association Penang

Asbestos: Malaysia should make sure ban stays in place

admin June 24, 2011 0 Comments

The Consumers Association of Penang called for a complete ban on all forms of asbestos way back in 2001. This was due to the rising number of cases of asbestos-related diseases due to the intensive use of asbestos in the past and the fact that some countries, including Malaysia, continue to use chrysotile. In a recent consultation with the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) on 28...

Lynas RIA is full of holes

admin June 21, 2011 0 Comments

The Radiological Impact assessment (RIA) for the Lynas plant which was made available for public viewing on 30 May 2011 has cast serious doubts on the whole approval procedure and due diligence process. Firstly, the RIA made public recently was done in June 2010. However, it made references to an earlier version approved in 2008. Why was the RIA approved in 2008 before the revised version was...

Astro’s monopoly has short-changed Malaysian TV viewers

admin June 20, 2011 0 Comments

Malaysians are gullible enough to be taken for a long ride by Astro, as the government has given Astro too much leeway. This has caused Malaysian TV viewers to be short-changed and at the same time snuffed out other operators from entering the market and providing better service. Such a phenomenon is only seen in Malaysia, with only one pay TV operator given exclusive licence for 20 years. The...

The Government should be stringent in issuing Halal certification

admin June 17, 2011 0 Comments

The Consumers’ Association of Penang is shocked and concerned of the recent revelation regarding content of pig DNA in food products that is widely consumed by Muslims. The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia/Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) had just recently revealed the results of analysis conducted by the Chemistry Department of Malaysia on HP Sauce and Tabasco Pepper...

Need for proper audit of medical items in government hospitals

admin June 13, 2011 0 Comments

Is the recent dumping of unused medical items at the Penang Hospital just the tip of the iceberg to a much bigger problem of lack of supervision over procurement, use and disposal in government hospitals? What society needs, and what consumers deserve is proactive action on the part of the government, namely the Ministry of Health, to ensure a proper monitoring system over all dealings of...

Sending of unsolicited messages to mobile phones must be stopped

admin June 10, 2011 0 Comments

Short messaging service (SMS) is one of the medium of communication being used commonly nowadays by hand phone users. However SMS can also be used to commit crime and fraud by various parties. Mobile phones are now being blasted with so many unwanted or unsolicited short messages. Unsolicited messages include advertisement-linked messages, contest winning messages, pornographic messages and so...

Malaysia should support and adopt sustainable indigenous knowledge and practices for livestock husbandry

admin June 7, 2011 0 Comments

Malaysia's demand for livestock continues to grow as meat consumption per capita keeps increasing. Per capita consumption of beef has increased from 2.4kg/year in 1985 to 8.4kg/year in 2010 and our self-sufficiency level for beef is 28%. In Malaysia, poultry and pig production has developed to a stage where it is self-sufficient. To meet the increasing demand, farmers and...

Health campaigns must be concerted and supported by every government body

admin June 6, 2011 0 Comments

Malaysians are not drastically changing their lifestyles despite the millions spent by the Government to woo them with health campaigns. Are Malaysians lackadaisical and to be solely blamed for the ineffectiveness of the various health drives initiated, and for taxpayers’ money pumped into these campaigns going to waste? The Government and the people should not be too shocked with the recent...

Takeover the IPPs, not renegotiate

admin June 3, 2011 0 Comments

CAP is concerned that the government is already renegotiating with independent power producers (IPPs) whose contracts will be expiring soon. Why are contract negotiations being carried out with IPPs which have been a drain on the resources of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and a burden to the consumers? Why not let TNB take over the IPPs? This is not a radical suggestion considering that in 1982...

CAP-SAM submission to IAEA International Panel

admin June 2, 2011 0 Comments

Written Submission to the IAEA International Panel: Review of Lynas at Gebeng, Kuantan Thursday, 2 June 2011 by Consumers’ Association of Penang and Sahabat Alam Malaysia INTRODUCTION: We are highly concerned because basic procedures such as an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and a Radiological Impact Assessment (RIA) have not been carried out according to even the minimum standards....

Consumers Association Penang

Month: June 2011