Letter: No bread, eggs - policymakers should go to the ground

LETTER | The current Covid-19 crisis is causing a lot of suffering for the people – workers, consumers and families. While the movement control order (MCO) is indeed vital to bring an end to the health crisis, it would be really helpful for policymakers and politicians to go to the ground to understand the reality of the rakyat and address the situation to reduce the suffering and the burden of the rakyat.

Let us start with the simple case of face masks. We keep getting continuous optimistic announcements that there is more than enough face masks for the rakyat. At some supermarkets, you cannot enter without a face mask. At some roadblocks, the police would insist that you wear a face mask. Based on these official announcements, the supermarkets and the police probably believe that masks are freely available for those who want to acquire it. The reality is, even before the MCO, for more than two months, in fact, face masks have simply not been available at the local pharmacies or other shops.

During the previous government, the ceiling price of face masks was 80 sen. It was not available then. The current government raised it to RM2.00. It was still not available. The ceiling price has now been reduced to RM1.50. And it is still not available. No doubt the more well-to-do would be able to acquire it through other means; for the ordinary rakyat the RM 1.50 face mask is just not available. 

It is good to make face masks more affordable to the rakyat; by beyond affordability, it must be available. Yet, for all the positive announcements and so-called price reductions, face masks are not available for the rakyat. That is the reality.

Secondly, we keep getting assurances that there is no shortage of food and groceries. The rakyat will tell a different story. They have to run around to get their groceries with many supermarkets and mini markets having empty shelves. Often, bread is not available. Sometimes eggs are not available. This is the reality of the rakyat. When they go beyond 10 km looking for food, they can get into trouble with the police. This is the reality.

Yet all we get are assurances that there is enough food. Full food shelves form supermarkets that the very rich go to are shown in the media. The policymakers and politicians should go to the ground.

What is worse is that some retailers are taking advantage of the current situation to raise prices. The enforcement division must be aggressive in their efforts to monitor prices as well as take severe action under the Consumer Protection Act, 1999 and the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act, 2016 against profiteering to ensure low and middle-income consumers have continued access to affordable food and other essentials.

One of the first measures that should have been announced together with the MCO should have been a consumer hotline so that consumers can air their grievances and hopefully the consumers' ministry can forcefully act. Consumer organisations are themselves are unable to act due to the MCO. Sadly, the plight of the consumers is neglected.

Unavailability of food and over-priced food are the real concerns of the rakyat. Positive and optimistic announcements not reflective of the rakyat’s reality are not useful. This is not the rakyat’s reality.

In relation to the welfare of workers, while the stimulus package announced to mitigate the impact of the virus on consumers and workers is indeed helpful, a substantial number of workers, especially contract workers and daily-wage workers, have been left out. Even those employed in SMEs are greatly worried if their jobs will continue to exist after the crisis. 

The SMEs employ more than 65 percent of the workforce; that is a sizable number of workers in the economy. In fact, the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER), estimates that job loss after the MCO would be in the range of 2.4 million workers. That is a lot of suffering.

Fomca sincerely hopes that policymakers will engage with key stakeholders or even better, go to the ground to understand the rakyat’s reality; then take measures to show to the rakyat that the government really listens and acts to support and help the rakyat

The writer is Federation of Malaysian Consumers' Associations (Fomca) president.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.