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Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Fomca says it again: Cancel sugar subsidy


‘You don’t have to be sweet to show you care.’
PETALING JAYA: The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) has urged the government to muster the political will to remove its subsidy on sugar entirely, citing the high rate of diabetes in the country.
It would be an unpopular move, but it would prove that the government cared for the wellbeing of citizens, said Fomca president N Marimuthu.
He told FMT he was disappointed that the government had made only a marginal reduction of the subsidy for fear of losing popular support.
Marimuthu has been lobbying for the subsidy removal for more than six years.
“When I first suggested it, there was a huge uproar,” he said. “The public is not cooperative enough regarding this issue. Unfortunately, the government will not act unless the majority demands a change.”
The current retail price for a kilogramme of sugar is RM2.30. The subsidy was reduced by 20 sen per kg last October. Before that, the Malaysian retail price was the second lowest in the world, behind Cuba.

Marimuthu said the funds the government would save from removing the subsidy could be channelled into healthcare programmes.
He believes that the cheapness of the commodity is the reason Malaysia has one of the highest diabetes rates in the world.
Citing the latest National Health Morbidity Survey, he said the prevalence of diabetes in Malaysians above 18 had risen tremendously and that many citizens were undiagnosed diabetics.
“Many Malaysians are unaware that they are diabetic, finding out only when it is too late, after suffering from heart attacks, high blood pressure or kidney failure,” he said.
“I have always said that if sugar is not too affordable, people will stop consuming it freely. It is not an item we need every day. We can still live good lifestyles without it.”
He suggested that consumer associations start a campaign to inform the public of their right to monitor the amount of sugar restaurant workers put into their drinks.
“We can seek to have restaurants place sugar in containers on their tables,” he said. “That will enable us to use amounts appropriate to our personal needs.”

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