Budget 2021: EPF withdrawal helps ease burden of target groups — Fomca
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November 07, 2020 15:09 pm +08
KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 7): The targeted Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) Account 1 withdrawal facility has been described as the best measure to help ease the burden of those affected by Covid-19 with regard to household expenses.
Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) deputy president Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman said the facility was seen as being able to help restore the economic cycle of the affected groups.
“At the same time, the government is still continuing the i-Lestari Account 2 withdrawal scheme, which is expected to end in March next year.
“They (contributors) can now withdraw up to RM1,000 from EPF Accounts 1 and 2 to relieve them of their financial burden due to the pandemic,” he told Bernama.
Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz when tabling Budget 2021 yesterday announced a targeted Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) Account 1 withdrawal facility of RM500 per month, up to a maximum of RM6,000 for 12 months.
Mohd Yusof also described Budget 2021 as being comprehensive despite the government was facing various financial constraints.
Read more: Budget 2021: EPF withdrawal helps ease burden of target groups — Fomca
Patient’s Rights – Trampled Again
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6 November 2020
FOMCA is extremely disappointed that the Poisons (Amendment) Bill 2019 that would enhance patients’ protection has been withdrawn. It appear that the government is not concerned to increase patient protection or patient welfare.
Previous governments had to some extent protected patients by regulating how much doctors could charge patients, as healthcare is a right not a commodity.
However, the previous health minister decided to eliminate the price ceilings and thus there are no price controls of how much patients can be charged. Doctors could charge as they please. Patients lost their protection. Thus the protection provided by setting a ceiling on consultation charges was removed – patient’s rights were trampled.
In addition, one of the promises made was that while doctors could charge as they pleased, with no price ceiling, they would be transparent in their patient charges, clearly indicating the breakdown of charges for consultation and for each of the medicines prescribed. Each patient would then know exactly how much he is being charged for both consultation and for each medicine that he has been given.
With transparency in medication costs, the patient could then make a choice on whether he wanted to purchase from the clinic or a pharmacy. For convenience, many may choose to buy from the clinic; while other more cost conscious consumers may choose to compare prices to get the best value for money.
Consumers’ expectations of Budget 2021 - FOMCA
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6 Nov 2020
CONSUMERS and workers are facing severe disruptions in their lives during this Covid-19 crisis. The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) hopes that Budget 2021 will address the three key issues of income, increasing costs of living, and consumer empowerment.
The most serious issue consumers face as workers is unemployment and reduction in income. According to the Social Security Organisation, 90,000 workers have lost their jobs since the crisis began.
Another study indicates that 200,000 workers in the informal sector – such as contract workers, maids and hawkers – may fall into poverty due to loss of or reduction in income. A study by a think tank indicates that more than two million may lose their jobs eventually.
Thus the government’s priority should be to facilitate a rapid economic recovery, ensure job creation to absorb both those who have lost their jobs as well as new entrants into the job market. It is estimated that at least one million well-paying jobs need to be created to do this.
For those who have lost their jobs, opportunities for training and upskilling need to be made available. For those struggling to get new jobs, the government needs to provide direct financial support for a time to ensure that they can maintain a minimum quality of life. In fact, it is high time that the government established a comprehensive social safety net to ensure that everyone is assured a minimum quality of life.
Internet still not available to many
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Government should make it a priority to provide affordable digital accessibility to remote and rural areas, say experts.
05 NOV 2020
PETALING JAYA: Just like water and electricity, internet access is now regarded as a basic necessity.
The point was made clear as far back as 2011 by the United Nations, but until today, access to the digital world is still confined only to those lucky enough to be living largely in urban areas, and have the money for costly devices.
In Malaysia, remote areas such as the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak, are still very far behind on the road to adequate internet accessibility.
This is a deficiency that has to be addressed quickly, considering that everyday life is now almost totally dependent on the internet, according to Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief executive officer Datuk Dr Paul Selvaraj.
“Without the internet, people’s access to many needs such as education is hampered,” he said.
Selvaraj said access to the internet has never been more crucial than now given the restrictions on normal life brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Schools are closed, and classrooms are now in the digital realm. Serious efforts must be expended on ensuring that the internet is accessible to everyone and not just those in the middle to upper class,” he told theSun.
15 to 24-year-olds among those affected by depression
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November 5, 2020
PETALING JAYA: Of the 500,000 Malaysians reported to suffer from depression in the 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey, 108,919 were young Malaysians, according to Befrienders KL.
They were between 15 and 24 years old, Befrienders publicity director Ardy Ayadali told FMT.
He also said those aged 28 and below made up 33% of the distress calls Befrienders received last year.
Referring to the current situation, Ardy said older people were experiencing emotional distress because they were working from home or had suffered loss of income.
However, he added, youths were more likely to get depression from the stress of academic and social struggles.
“But the causes of depression are complex,” he said. “In youths, these can include low self-esteem and poor interpersonal skills, which cause them to struggle with relationships with friends and family.”
He said family support played a key role in improving the younger generation’s well-being and he recommended that schools incorporate the topics of self-care, mental health issues and stress-coping skills into the syllabus.
Read more: 15 to 24-year-olds among those affected by depression
Larangan Jualan Produk Makanan Yang Dikesan Mengandungi Racun Berjadual Dan Memaparkan Maklumat Palsu Pada Label
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5 November 2020
Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) melalui Bahagian Keselamatan dan Kualiti Makanan (BKKM) sentiasa memantau produk-produk makanan di pasaran termasuk produk makanan yang disyaki diaduk dengan racun berjadual seperti sildenafil, tadalafil, dexamethasone dan prednisolone.
Hasil pemantauan yang dijalankan oleh BKKM sepanjang tahun 2019 hingga Ogos 2020, didapati sebanyak 21 produk makanan membabitkan 16 jenama daripada sejumlah 849 produk makanan yang dianalisis didapati mengandungi racun berjadual yang dilarang penambahannya dalam makanan.
Di bawah Seksyen 13, Akta Makanan 1983, menyatakan mana-mana orang yang menyediakan atau menjual apa-apa makanan yang ada dalam atau padanya apa-apa bahan yang beracun, merosakkan atau selainnya memudaratkan kesihatan adalah melakukan suatu kesalahan dan apabila disabitkan kesalahan boleh dikenakan denda yang tidak melebihi RM 100,000 atau penjara selama tempoh tidak melebihi 10 tahun atau kedua-duanya.
Tindakan undang-undang telah diambil ke atas pengeluar atau pengedar 4 daripada 16 jenama produk makanan yang tidak mematuhi undang-undang tersebut. Walau bagaimanapun, hasil siasatan yang dijalankan ke atas 12 jenama produk makanan yang lain mendapati nama dan alamat syarikat adalah palsu atau tidak lengkap. Maklumat semua produk makanan tersebut adalah seperti di lampiran.
Bijak urus pendapatan, elak kejutan kewangan
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November 4, 2020 2:25 pm
*Artikel ini dibawa oleh Fomca dengan kerjasama Jawatankuasa Tetap Hal Ehwal Pengguna Selangor
Bermula dari tahun 2011, Gabungan Persatuan-persatuan Pengguna Malaysia (Fomca) merasakan bahawa literasi kewangan harus diberikan keutamaan di dalam agenda nasional.
Maka bulan Oktober adalah sebagai Bulan Literasi Kewangan, di mana kami menggalakkan setiap pengguna harus menilai tahap kewangan mereka dan perlu mengetahui langkah-langkah untuk menguruskan perancangan kewangan dan meningkatkan kemampuan pengurusan kewangan mereka.
Data mengenai tingkah laku kewangan pengguna di Malaysia begitu membimbangkan. Sebanyak enam juta pekerja di kawasan bandar memperoleh gaji di bawah tangga gaji yang dicadangkan oleh Bank Negara Malaysia yang ditakrifkan sebagai gaji minimum oleh pengguna untuk menjalani taraf hidup yang bersesuaian.
Malah, simpanan mereka juga rendah. Dilaporkan bahawa 88 peratus isi rumah di Malaysia tidak mempunyai simpanan, sementara 62 peratus pengguna dilaporkan tidak mempunyai simpanan cukup.
Emas tak dapat, lesap RM1 juta
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Rabu, 4 November 2020 @ 9:38 AM
Taiping: Seorang pesara swasta kerugian lebih RM1 juta (RM1,177,950) selepas lelaki warga emas itu ditipu dalam pelaburan emas yang tidak wujud.
Ketua Polis Daerah Taiping Asisten Komisioner Osman Mamat berkata, lelaki berusia 60 tahun itu mendakwa berurusan dengan seorang wanita warga Singapura yang dikenali menerusi aplikasi janji temu dalam talian, OKCUPID, dan menawarkan pelaburan emas yang dikenali sebagai Alpha Tradex.
Beliau berkata, mangsa memasukkan wang secara berperingkat ke dalam lapan akaun yang diberikan oleh suspek bagi tujuan pelaburan emas berkenaan.
"Hasil pelaburan yang ditawarkan oleh suspek kononnya boleh mendapat keuntungan mencecah US$2,712,477.41 (RM11,278,353.54).
"Pengadu ingin menunaikan wang keuntungan itu dan diberikan satu resit transaksi kemasukan wang ke dalam akaun pengadu," katanya dalam kenyataan di sini, hari ini.
Moratorium: Tunggu Jumaat ini - Abd Rahim
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November 4, 2020 11:20 MYT
KUALA LUMPUR: Keputusan sama ada kerajaan akan melanjutkan pelaksanaan moratorium atau tidak akan diketahui Jumaat ini.
Demikian kata Timbalan Menteri Kewangan I, Datuk Abd Rahim Bakri.
"Pada Jumaat ini kita ada pembentangan Belanjawan 2021, jadi untuk mengetahui sama ada inisiatif itu dilaksanakan kena tunggu Jumaat ini," katanya ketika menjawab soalan tambahan Datuk Salim Sharif (BN-Jempol) di Dewan Rakyat pada Rabu.
Dalam pada itu, Abd Rahim (Bersatu - Kudat) ketika menjawab soalan tambahan Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub (PH - Pulai) berhubung pemberian projek runding terus melalui Pakej Rangsangan Ekonomi yang diumumkan ketika pandemik COVID-19 memberitahu, beliau tidak mempunyai sebagai maklumat mengenai perkara itu.
"Dalam pakej yang dilaksanakan itu, saya tidak ada maklumat adakah ia diberi secara runding terus," ujarnya.
Dalam perkembangan lain, beliau berkata kerajaan menjangkakan unjuran Keluaran Dalam Negara Kasar (KDNK) akan berkembang sebanyak 5.5 peratus sehingga 5.8 peratus pada tahun 2021.
Putrajaya urged to target aid to single mothers, disabled
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November 4, 2020 9:45 AM
PETALING JAYA: Putrajaya has been urged to provide additional forms of social protection to single mothers and disabled persons in low-income areas following a study showing they are the slowest to recover from the movement control order (MCO) because many of them cannot get government aid.
According to a recent Unicef report, income in general was inching towards 2019 levels in the areas the agency surveyed but women and the disabled were still making far less money than they used to.
The two groups were also the most likely to be without any kind of savings, the report said.
A spokesman for the All Women’s Action Society (AWAM) told FMT single mothers in low-income areas faced unique challenges that the government needed to address.
“We encounter many women who have been left by their husbands,” she said. “However, they are still legally married.”
She noted that the government recognised only divorced and widowed women as single mothers and called for less rigidity in determining eligibility for aid.
Read more: Putrajaya urged to target aid to single mothers, disabled
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