KUALA TERENGGANU: The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) has issued 84 notices against food and beverage premises operators nationwide for charging more than RM1 for a glass of plain water.

Its Deputy Minister Datuk Rosol Wahid said all the notices were issued through Ops Catut 8.0 carried out since Wednesday (April 7) following complaints from the public.

"The operation will be carried out until April 15 by enforcement teams nationwide. Based on the number of notices issued, we find that this is quite a common occurrence.

"This should not happen... maybe a more appropriate price would be between RM0.20 or RM0.30," he told reporters after officiating the Terengganu state-level Franchise Bay Tour Programme here today.

Of the 84 notices, Kelantan recorded the highest number with 14, followed by Selangor (12), Sabah (eight), Sarawak (eight), Johor (eight), Pahang (seven), Terengganu (six), Kuala Lumpur (five), Melaka ( four), Federal Territory of Labuan (three), Penang (three), Perlis (two), Perak (two) and Negeri Sembilan (two).

Traders who are issued with the notice will be given two to five working days to provide the information required by KPDNHEP before further action is taken in accordance with the Price Control and Anti -Profiteering Act 2011.

Meanwhile, Rosol called on more franchisors to take advantage of the Micro and Affordable Franchise Development Programme to help create better opportunities for entrepreneurs, especially those in the B40 and M40 target groups.

He said there were currently 1,091 franchise brands registered in Malaysia, of which 694 were local franchise brands.

"However, so far only 12 franchise brands have offered micro franchises and affordable franchises. The number is still too small compared to the 1,091 registered franchise brands," he said.

Affordable franchises are business packages worth RM100 thousand and below, while micro franchises are worth RM50 thousand and below.

Rosol said KPDNHEP had allocated a total of RM5 million for the Affordable and Micro Franchise Development Programme, comprising full grants worth RM2 million offered to franchisors, and matching grants totalling RM2.5 million for those from the B40 and M40 groups looking to open a franchise.

On an unrelated matter, Rosol, who is also Hulu Terengganu MP, said KPDNHEP was monitoring motorcycle sales activities around the Klang Valley, where customers were apparently finding it difficult to purchase new two-wheelers in cash.

"Recently I have received complaints from customers who say they find it difficult to buy motorcycles in cash, because sellers prefer customers to purchase them in installments.

"If there are reports that traders are pressuring customers, KPDNHEP can investigate. There may be offences (committed) that we can take action against, especially if traders set different prices for the purchase of motorcycles in cash or monthly installments," he said.

He added that apart from keeping the people away from the burden of debt, he also did not want them to be saddled with interest payments.

"I think there may be an alliance between the motor companies and finance institutions... imagine if there is a charge five per cent or eight per cent in interest over five years, how much will they earn (compared to the cash deal) ... if there are two different prices according to the method of purchase, this is wrong," he said.



-- BERNAMA