KUALA LUMPUR: It has only been a week since Muslims started fasting and people are already talking about the increase of food price seen at Ramadan bazaars.
The President of Malaysia Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM) Datuk Nadzim Johan said, they have received a lot of complaints from consumers about the increase of price including for necessities as we embark on the month of Ramadan.
He observed that traders are taking advantage of the situation, giving the excuse that they were covering the extra cost of Goods and Service Tax (GST) in increasing prices.
"We have received complaints about the increase of retail prices and we can see this increase is also partly due to increased demand during Ramadan.
"However consumers are victims when traders take advantage of the situation by using GST as an excuse regardless of whether the item in question incurs the tax or not," he said when contacted by Malaysian Digest today.
He agreed that there is increase in the price of food sold at Ramadan bazaar.
"Consumers are at fault as well. The authorities, they could observe but it all depends on how consumers manage their spending," he said.
He urged consumers to be more wise and thrifty when spending and advised traders not to increase the price out of whim.
"Consumers need to be frugal. If you used to eat a piece of kuih now eat half the amount and try cooking at home.
"It could be good for health too. We lose nothing if we eat less.
"Traders shouldn't just increase prices. Rather, they should focus more on quality," he said.
--Malaysian Digest
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