Regulator Educates Public, Students On Rights and Responsibilities
Many Fijians not aware of consumer rights, says chief executive Abraham
Fiji Commerce Commission (FCC) is on a mission to educate Fijian consumers about their rights and responsibilities.
Chief executive officer Joel Abraham, while conducting an awareness programme for students and teachers at Marist Brothers High School in Suva recently, said many consumers in Fiji were not aware of their rights.
He said they received many complaints from the public in the past years, and were now engaging with the communities as a whole in conducting awareness.
“Part of our efforts in protecting consumer interest to get the market more aware to educate consumers on the right direction and their responsibility,” Mr Abraham said. “We need a better Fiji and the idea was to go around and educate our children and look at a better Fiji in the long term.”
He said students are the future leaders of tomorrow adding that a school student, teenager or adult was a consumer.
“Consumers’ responsibility is everybody’s responsibility. We are not only focusing on consumers, we also target traders,” he said. “We have also conducted awareness at tertiary schools. People must abide by the law. Consumer and traders need to be ethical and it works both sides.”
Mr Abraham said if consumers and traders followed the law then “we wouldn’t have any problem”. He urged consumers to notify the commission if they faced any issue concerning abuse.