Use price-checking app, minister tells public

Looi Sue-Chern Looi Sue-Chern Updated 7 years ago · Published on 13 Jul 2018 3:08PM · 3 Comments

Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail has told members of the public to use an app by the ministry to check goods prices. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Kamal Ariffin, July 13, 2018.

AS consumers complain about prices in a post-GST Malaysia, Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail tells the public to download the ministry’s Price Catcher app.

He said the ministry’s 1,044 officers around the country check the prices of 417 items, such as fresh, dry and canned foods, beverages, milk and baby products, and cleaning products.

The officers then update the latest prices onto the app daily, he said.

“You can see the (prices of) chicken, seafood, vegetable prices and others sold at hypermarkets and public markets in your respective locations… whether you are in Bayan Baru or Tanjung Malim.

“It is a very powerful app. You can compare the different prices offered by different outlets in your area, and shop at the outlet that offers you the best price.

“That is how transparent we are with the people on prices,” he told reporters at Komtar, Penang during a Hari Raya open house.

Saifuddin said the app would empower consumers and help them decide where to spend their money, and not patronise businesses that charge expensive prices.

“Consumers don’t have to wait for the government to make price announcements. They can check it themselves daily using the app and be smart consumers.

“My job is to ensure we have enough food supply that is sold at reasonable prices. We can achieve this when we have smart consumers and ethical business practices.”

The app, Saifuddin said, was created a year ago but perhaps it was not promoted enough to the people.

To date, he said some 40,000 have downloaded the app, which is available on both Android and iOS platforms.

He also encouraged the people to register as “Friends of KPDNKK” and help the ministry by being its “eyes” and send in complaints.

So far, 800,000 people have registered as Friends of KPDNKK through the ministry’s website, he said.

The GST was zero-rated by the Pakatan Harapan government on June 1, weeks after it came into power in Putrajaya. The tax was much hated and blamed for the increase in cost of living in recent years.

After the 6% consumption tax was zero-rated on June 1, people generally expected prices of goods to decrease. – July 13, 2018.

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Comments

  • Nowadays eating at McDonald's, pizza hut and domino is cheaper than eating at kopitiam.

    Posted 7 years ago by Ordinary Person · Reply

  • Secret Recipe is a worse offender than the kopitiam. The feller simply raises the price to offset GST earlier and for SST later. Big crook.

    Posted 7 years ago by Simple Sulaiman · Reply

  • Friends of KPDNKK should be made into a smart phone downloadable app so that people can quickly register and provide comments on where they have been, what they bought and how much is the price and why they think it's expensive.

    But to me, this involves a great deal of repackaging of information by the ministry which is labour intensive and unsustainable in the long run. A more appropriate app with better algorithm should be able to aggregate data to feed into big data crunching to see which are red areas where price gauging is the most serious, to areas where prices are more reasonable - it will help direct KPDNKK enforcement efficiently - think of google, i-property, car-list, e-hailing apps/websites and you get the idea.

    Posted 7 years ago by Quigon Bond · Reply