PENAMPANG: The Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) prefers to receive more public complaints on issues in regards to goods and services, including on pricing, which indicate high awareness of consumers on their rights.
Its Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said he welcomed many public complaints related to consumerism issues so that these could be addressed and tackled immediately.
Hence, he said the Ministry would further empower its existing channels and platforms for the consumers to submit their complaints, easily and efficiently.
“Under my leadership through the ‘Kita Gempur’ programme, the more complaints there are, the better because it reflects the people’s awareness of their rights as consumers.
“I don’t see the low number of complaints recorded is important to me. In fact, I would like to see more complaints, so I am calling on the consumers to submit their complaints through the existing KPDN channels so that we have a record.
“Next, our enforcement can do follow-up action that can be carried out within 24 hours. I fear that if the complaints go viral, apart from having lack of information, the suspected quarter will have time to hide their wrongdoing,” Armizan said this to reporters after officiating the Rahmah Madani Sales Program (PJRM) in conjunction with “Back To School” in conjunction with School Holiday session at ITCC, here, on Sunday.
He also presented coupons of Jom Shopping Back to School under School Rahmah Aid and food baskets to 100 schoolchildren and lucky draw prizes to winners.
Armizan said KPDN received low number of public complaints related to price manipulation or profiteering due to the low level of awareness among consumers about their rights.
“That’s why I have informed my Ministry officials at all levels to enhance consumers’ awareness on the existing KPDN channels for them to submit their complaints.
“In Sabah, I have instructed that information on the KPDN public complaint channels to be displayed through advertisement billboards and LED billboards as one of the ways to increase awareness of consumer rights,” he said.
On a related issue, Armizan said he noticed that consumers prefer to spread any issue related to the profiteering of goods without complete information which makes it difficult for KPDN enforcement unit to address and resolve them.
Therefore, he said, the public had been urged to use the KPDN existing complaint channels to channel their complaints and to provide more accurate information so that its enforcement can take immediate and appropriate action when attending their complaints, efficiently.
