BUTTERWORTH, Dec 23 — Consumers have been urged to report to the Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Ministry (KPDN) if any trader imposes conditions like purchasing one kg of premium white sugar first if they want to buy coarse granulated sugar.
Penang KPDN director S. Jegan said the act of imposing such conditions was wrong and could be prosecuted under the Control of Supplies Act 1961.
However, the ministry has not yet received any complaints on the matter, and consumers ought to come forward if such an incident occurs so enforcement can be taken against errant traders.
“If there are traders who set the condition that to buy normal sugar, consumers have to buy premium sugar first, then that is indeed wrong.
“There are also enforcement officers to conduct regular inspections at the premises to ensure that traders comply with the conditions, especially for controlled goods,” he said after launching the Festive Season Maximum Price Control Scheme (SHMMP) for Christmas today.
Jegan said 174 enforcement officers and 64 monitoring officers were assigned to strategic locations like public markets, farmers’ markets, and shopping centres during SHMMP’s duration, which begins today until December 27 to enable more effective enforcement of complaints reported by consumers.
Meanwhile, from January 1 to December 19, 46,079 premises throughout Penang have been inspected, with 777 cases reported for various offences involving the seizure worth RM3.38 million, RM633,300 in compounds, and RM24,000 in fines.
During that period, 2,264 complaints were received, of which 861 related to the price of goods and services, 156 related to the supply of controlled goods, and the rest were other matters.
“The Rahmah Sales programme is ongoing, and 470 sales have been held in 13 Parliamentary constituencies and 40 state constituencies throughout Penang.
“A total of 483,350 visitors were recorded with total sales reaching RM16.5 million,” he said.
— Bernama
