Development EN – Consumers Association Penang

HOW SUSTAINABLE IS YOUR SMARTPHONE?

Lai Cheng September 19, 2025 0 Comments

Think your smartphone is just plastic and glass? Think again. Modern smartphones are among the most resource-intensive consumer products, incorporating over 30 elements from the periodic table. Common materials like aluminum, copper, and iron support structural and electrical functions, while rare elements such as lithium, cobalt, tantalum, and neodymium power batteries, capacitors, and audio...

Federal Court Must Overrule High Court Decision Declaring Semantan Owners of Duta Enclave

Lai Cheng September 8, 2025 0 Comments

We refer to the report Govt wins Duta land dispute, retains title but ordered to compensate The Duta land dispute between the Government and Semantan Estate (1952) Sdn Bhd has its roots in pre-Merdeka Malaya, around 69 years ago. In 1956, the government acquired around 250 acres of land owned by Semantan for public purposes under the Land Acquisition Enactment. An enquiry was held to...

From Drab to Hopeful

Lai Cheng September 3, 2025 0 Comments

HOW ART UNITED & TRANSFORMED A NEIGHBOURHOOD Graffiti artists are often viewed as hooligans and rabble-rousers who vandalise property and cause trouble for society. But perhaps their expressive spark can be put to good use? That’s what the Mexican government did some years ago – with surprising results. A group of young graffiti artists were asked to paint a Mexican hillside village of...

Cowardly Attack on Rafizi’s Family Must Not Go Unpunished

Lai Cheng August 18, 2025 0 Comments

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) strongly condemns the cowardly attack on the former Economy Minister's 10 year-old son at a mall in Putrajaya, followed by further threats to his family. Such behaviour is vile, disgraceful and an affront to basic decency, revealing the perpetrators’ inability or refusal to face the person concerned through lawful means such as the courts or the...

Focus on Real Issues, Not Honest Mistakes

Lai Cheng August 14, 2025 0 Comments

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) urges Malaysians not to be drawn into unnecessary outrage over the recent incident of the Malaysian flag being accidentally displayed upside down. The person responsible has acknowledged the mistake and issued an apology. That should be sufficient. It is deeply troubling when such matters are seized upon and politicised, turning an honest error into an...

Ensuring Equity and Accountability in the 13th Malaysia Plan

Lai Cheng August 6, 2025 0 Comments

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) welcomes some segments of the 13th Malaysia Plan, such as those addressing key issues such as stagnated wages, affordable housing, transportation, healthcare and food sustainability. While the initiative is commendable for aiming to improve the living standards of those in the B40 and M40 income groups, the government must ensure close monitoring of...

Strengthening Public Accountability After the 2025 Auditor General’s Report

Lai Cheng August 4, 2025 0 Comments

The 2025 Auditor General’s Report (Series 2) has unearthed a host of serious irregularities and governance failures, thereby creating a cascade of new concerns after scrutinising five audits across seven ministries. These involved programmes and projects worth approximately RM48.873 billion. According to reports, between 2012 and January 2025, a total of 12,393 audits were conducted. Of these,...

Towards a Fairer and More Sustainable Economic Future for Malaysia

Lai Cheng July 31, 2025 0 Comments

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) welcomes the government’s efforts to assist those in need during these challenging economic times, as outlined in the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Special Speech on 23 July 2025. However, we stress that such initiatives should serve as short-term relief only, particularly in light of the rising cost of living, subsidy rationalisation,...

TACKLING LIGHT POLLUTION: A Growing Environmental and Health Concern

Soon Lian July 23, 2025 0 Comments

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) wishes to highlight an increasingly pressing issue: light pollution. Light pollution refers to excessive or misdirected artificial lighting that interferes with the natural darkness of the night sky. One of the most basic services provided by local governments is proper nighttime lighting. It plays an essential role in ensuring public safety and security...

CAP Calls for Vacancy Tax and Tighter Controls to Curb Property Speculation

Lai Cheng July 17, 2025 0 Comments

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) strongly supports the introduction of a vacancy tax on residential properties that are left unoccupied for extended periods. We believe this measure is urgently needed to address the deepening problems of property speculation and declining housing affordability in Malaysia. A vacancy tax typically applies to properties that remain vacant — unsold or...

Consumers Association Penang

Category: Development EN