KOTA KINABALU: Consumers Affair and Protection Society of Sabah (CAPS) considers the distribution of RM500 cash under the BR1M programme as merely a token of appreciation or ‘Ang Pow’ to the people.
CAPS president James Bagah lamented that BR1M was far from easing the financial burden of the people, especially to East Malaysian consumers where the price of necessities are much higher compared to those in Peninsular Malaysia.
He said the value of RM500 could not give much impact in terms of purchasing power.
“If BR1M is to be given out on a monthly basis, then it is something that could really lessen the financial burden of the consumers.
“But on the contrary, if it is distributed only once a year, once in every five years or once in a life time, then it will be another story altogether,” said James in a statement yesterday.
Nevertheless, James said those consumers who had received the ‘Ang Pow’ should thankful to the Prime Minister and his government for his generosity.
He said what the people of Sabah really wanted the government to do is to find the real cause of the high cost of living in Sabah and Sarawak.
“We want the government to implement an effective measure or mechanism in combating the price hike of every essential goods in Sabah and Sarawak. There must be a root cause of all this somewhere.
“Everything is expensive in Sabah, making Sabahan consumers victims of circumstances.
“It is going to be absolutely critical if this trend continues unchecked,” he cautioned.
According to him, it is common practice for any government to give salary hikes to civil servants.
“But the sad thing is raising salaries will not work per se. Every time salaries increase, the price of goods will increase too.
“When price of fuel increases, the price of essential goods will follow suit, but when the fuel price goes down, the prices of all necessities remain unchanged. This is part of the consumers’ problem that the government has to address seriously,” he said.
James contended that dishing out RM500 cash under BR1M was just like giving fish to the consumers.
“It is only a short term solution.
“The government should implement a long term approach by teaching them the proper method of fishing with the right apparatus and show them where to fish so that they have a sustainable source of income throughout their lifetime without fully relying on government aid.
“With this empowerment, consumers can get out from the poor bracket because everything is costly when you are poor,” he said.