August 2018 – Consumers Association Penang

RISING PRICES OF VEGETABLES

admin August 30, 2018 0 Comments

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) views with serious concern about the escalating costs of vegetables. According to a Malay daily report dated 23 August 2018, Malaysia is the dumping ground for substandard quality vegetables as the result of a lack of enforcement on the imported food products from other countries. Such lack of enforcement resulted in chili imported from Vietnam, China,...

Channel revenue from soda tax towards Health Promotion

admin August 29, 2018 0 Comments

Consumers Association of Penang fully supports the Government’s consideration of a soda tax as a deterrent to consumption of sweetened drinks and beverages to promote healthy lifestyle. However to be consistent in this direction the price of sugar should not be lowered and the sugar subsidy should not be reinstated. Soda tax should be implemented on all forms of sweetened beverages and...

CAP urges caution in raising medical fees

admin August 28, 2018 0 Comments

The Consumers Association of Penang urges the Ministry of Health in exercising caution in raising medical fees. Consumers are being burdened by overall cost of living and any drastic increase in medical fees will deter consumers from seeking medical treatment which may then lead to more severe health consequences. Any increase in consultation fees should not be higher than the rate of inflation....

SAM Welcomes Cancellation of East Coast Rail Link Project

Admin August 23, 2018 0 Comments

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) welcomes the Federal Government’s decision to cancel the implementation of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project. On August 20, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had announced in China the cancellation of the ECRL for now. However, SAM hopes that the decision to cancel the project is not only because of the excessive cost but had taken into account its...

LIGHT POLLUTION IS JUST AS BAD AS ANY OTHER POLLUTION

Admin August 21, 2018 0 Comments

The association between light pollution and diseases with it is not well studied in Malaysia. In a 2013 study by University of Malaya’s Engineering Faculty, 80 per cent of the survey respondents said that they do not know what ‘light pollution’ is while another 20 per cent said that they know. Therefore, there is little wonder that many of the respondents wanted the area outside their...

Free drugs not really free

Admin August 17, 2018 0 Comments

The Consumers Association of Penang commends the Ministry of Health in conducting a review of the Patient Access Scheme to ensure it is in line with proper audit and procurement standards. The scheme operates on the basis of getting certain drugs free upon purchase of a certain amount of drugs. In essence this is ‘not free’ and cannot be deemed as an access program as its availability is...

‘CENTRAL FOREST SPINE’ FOREST COMPLEXES MUST BE SUSTAINABLY MANAGED AND EXISTING AREA SHOULD BE MAINTAINED

Admin August 14, 2018 0 Comments

The media reported that a baby elephant was found roaming in Lintang town, Sungai Siput, Perak and had entered Sekolah Kebangsaan Lintang (SK Lintang) on August 7. The elephant calf was believed to have been lost from his habitat at Piah Forest Reserve (HS Piah) and was separated from his mother. Based on news and reports published in the mass media from time to time, issues such as wildlife...

SAM OUTRAGED BY WATER, LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES MINISTER’S RESPONSE ON IMPACTS OF GOLD MINING

Admin August 10, 2018 0 Comments

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is outraged by the Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar’s statement that cyanide used by three gold mining companies in Malaysia does not cause any health problems such as cancer or skin diseases and that cyanide used at the mining ponds had no impact on the air or the nearby environment. He was also quoted by the media that “no matter...

International Day of World’s Indigenous Peoples 2018: Transparency on oil palm plantation project for Iban communities in Marudi

Admin August 9, 2018 0 Comments

In conjunction with the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples today, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) wishes to express our concern on the proposal to develop an oil palm plantation project in Marudi, Baram, which will affect the native customary rights (NCR) of at least 20 Iban villages. The affected customary territories not only include some forested areas, they also contain...

Unjustified Killing of Crocodiles

Admin August 6, 2018 0 Comments

Friends of the Earth Malaysia (FOEM) an environment NGO in Penang, expresses shock and horror at the massacre of nearly 300 crocodiles in Indonesia’s West Papua province. The loss of a human life is most devastating, but then the crocodile cannot be entirely blamed for following his natural instinct—killing whatever “prey” that had entered into his habitat. Man’s understanding of...

Consumers Association Penang

Month: August 2018