Malaysians must learn to be smart consumers

THE cost of living is currently a hotly debated issue and for some of the groups involved, the present situation is entirely due to the Government, citing certain policies as being insensitive and bringing more harm than good to the rakyat.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) continues to be the whipping boy for the rise in prices, especially of food, although there is a myriad of external issues aggravating the matter, including the fall in the value of ringgit which has caused our imports to become more costly.

The Government has on various platforms attempted to explain the importance of generating sustainable revenue through the GST for the wellbeing of the nation but these have not gone down well with the masses.

Perhaps it is time that a more robust strategy is developed to explain government policies, especially those which directly impact on the daily lives of the people.

At the Malaysia Consumers Movement (MCM), we believe that if more than 160 nations throughout the world have implemented this form of taxation, the latest being certain rich countries in the Middle East, it cannot be a bad tax regime after all.

The MCM commends the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism (MDTCC) Minister for mooting the idea of establishing a National Cost of Living Council (NCLC), which would be chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and comprise experts from the economy, transport and education as well as nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), to enable holistic discussion and deliberation on the cost of living in the country.

However, MCM believes the biggest challenge is getting consumers to be involved and play an active role in consumerism. Malaysians at large are generally not interested in or just not bothered about consumerrelated issues.

It is therefore vital that the NCLC strengthens the “3Es” – education, ethics and enforcement – in its efforts to elevate consumer protection in the country.

At the moment, all three are out of sync. The NCLC must cultivate the habit of complaining among Malaysians. Each and every complaint filed must be investigated by the relevant enforcement authority, the issue identified and addressed. Every complaint received can be used to strategically structure consumer education and advocacy work.

As consumers, we must be proactive in exposing unethical business. This is one area where we could put our social media skills into good use.