Covas: Up to consumers to spend hardearned money

KUCHING: Consumers Voice Association Sarawak ( Covas) agrees that it is up to consumers to spend their hard- earned money or BSH (formerly BR1M) payment at KFC or MacDonald’s fast food outlets.

While these eateries could lower or increase prices of their products because they are private enterprises, consumers on the other hand had to make a choice - either to patronise these eateries or spend their money somewhere else, said its ( Covas) president Michael Tiong.

Tiong was asked on allegation that KFC had increased the prices of products, and that enforcers of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs are now probing the matter following public complaint.

A netizen reacted by saying that food and drinks at KFC and MacDonald’s are not basic needs or essentials, and therefore, the poor ( or those with lower income) should not be spending their hard- earned money and welfare aid ( like BSH) on them. The positive side of such price hike is that small businesses such as hawkers and some Mamak eateries will indirectly flourish.

QSR Brands ( M) Holdings, the company that own KFC outlets acknowledged that it had made marginal price adjustment but some people in the social media claimed it had made a substantial hike or chose to misinterpret the price adjustment.

Meanwhile, the ministry’s Sarawak director Datuk Stanley Tan said traders could be fined up to RM50,000 or a maximum jail term of two years if convicted of hiking prices of school accessories like a pair of black shoes exorbitantly.

Tan said the ministry had not received any such complaint as up to Dec 26.