2020 – Page 23 – Consumers Association Penang

Sugar vs Drug: Both are Poisons

admin June 5, 2020 0 Comments

POISON is understood as “any substance applied to the body, ingested, or developed within the body, which causes or may cause disease” (1957 medical research definition used in the works of Dr William Coda Martin — now a geriatrician, associated with Coler Memorial Hospital in New York). The dictionary definition of poison is “to exert a harmful influence on, or to pervert” (William...

Gandhi’s Life Mission

admin June 4, 2020 0 Comments

"Hind Swaraj" or “Indian Home Rule” was written in 1910 in 10 days on board a ship when Gandhi returned from England to South Africa. That was before he left South Africa for India. The book was mentioned by M. Chatterjee as “a very basic document for the study of Gandhi’s thought”. It is Gandhi's seminal work. Gandhi felt that “modern civilisation” posed a greater threat than...

WHY IS JELLY CANDY STILL BEING SOLD?

admin June 3, 2020 0 Comments

CAP is concerned about the four-year-old boy who died after choking on a piece of jelly candy in his house in Kampung Batu Manikar, Labuan, on 20 May. In 2004, we had called for an immediate ban on this type of sweet from the market as it posed as a choking hazard. This boy could have been alive today if immediate action to permanently remove these products from the market had been put...

Towards mercury-free dentistry in Malaysia

admin June 2, 2020 0 Comments

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) urges the federal government to expedite legislation to eliminate the use of dental amalgam. Due to growing concern regarding impacts of mercury, governments had negotiated a legally binding instrument on mercury, and the text of the Minamata Convention on Mercury was completed and adopted in 2013. Malaysia is a signatory to the...

STOP UNETHICAL PRACTICES BY PRIVATE HOSPITALS

admin June 1, 2020 0 Comments

Do private hospitals not have any corporate social responsibility towards their patients and the public, especially during times of emergency, or are such periods/ occasions just another business opportunities to make more money? A private hospital in KL was recently fined RM200,000.00 by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs for charging RM11.20 for face masks that are...

Protecting youth from industry manipulation and preventing them from tobacco and nicotine use

admin May 30, 2020 0 Comments

In conjunction to the World No Tobacco Day which falls on 31st May, the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) joins the community of public health advocates to urge the Malaysian government to protect the youth from the tobacco industry’s manipulation. The industry’s hidden agenda is to entice the youth because, once a person is addicted to nicotine, the person will find it very...

CAP urges Kedah MB to disclose the RM 1.5 billion claim against the State

admin May 29, 2020 0 Comments

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) calls on the Kedah State Government not to renew timber concessions that have been cancelled or grant new concessions. Deforestation is one of the major causes of climate change which is adversely affecting the livelihood of hundreds of millions of people throughout the world, including Malaysia. The State Government should put the interests of our...

Expedite Efforts To Secure International Funds For Forests Protection

admin May 27, 2020 0 Comments

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) calls on the Federal Government to urgently expedite efforts to secure international funds to help states protect and conserve their forests, which are vital for addressing climate change and protect biodiversity, instead of allowing them for logging and other purposes. SAM makes this call in view of media reports yesterday that Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md...

CAP: Ban talcum powder and talc-based products

admin May 22, 2020 0 Comments

The Consumers Association of Penang calls on the Ministry of Health to ban talcum powder and talc-based products. Talcum powder has been directly used on the skin as an effective absorbent to help deodorise and for imparting a silky touch. The primary component in talcum powder is magnesium silicate hydroxide (commonly known as talc). Talc is similar to asbestos in composition, it is found...

Ferry riders must conduct themselves with Covid-19 in mind