Fundamental issues over consumer rights
View(s):A survey this week undertaken jointly by the Business Times (BT) and the Colombo-based Research Consultancy Bureau (RCB) relating to the recent furore over contamination in milk foods has raised some interesting issues.
With over a 1000 people responding to the poll; conducted on the street, via mobile phone and on email; the results showed a diversity of views on whether local and imported food is properly tested to ensure it is safe for consumption.
However the most challenging issues to society came in two of the poll questions: “Are you aware of your rights as consumers?” and “If yes, what is the likelihood of exercising your rights?” In the BT email poll whose respondents were business professionals, senior academics, young professionals, corporate executives and intellectuals, 42 per cent said ‘No” against a 39 per cent “Yes” vote while 69 per cent were “Undecided” and 9 per cent said “Yes” on exercising their rights as consumers.
The RCB street poll of general working people also saw 44 per cent saying they are unaware of their rights as consumers while a larger percentage (76 per cent) said they would most likely exercise their rights as consumers.
What does this mean? Are people unaware of their rights as consumers which would then mean that there is a need for more awareness, education? Or are people just disinterested in the current, general direction of apathy or disinterest to exercise their rights, even if they are aware?
Exercising one’s rights as a consumer is a serious issue in the country. There are hundreds of consumer societies and consumer cooperatives across the country set up for the purpose of protecting the rights of consumers. But many are just political fiefdoms of a local politician set up purely with vested interests of acquiring a vote base or other specific, non-consumer purpose.
It was only recently that a few regional, consumer cooperatives made submissions at the recent hearing of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on the controversial power price hike, raising some respectability and hope for these, otherwise inactive organisations.
More worrying is that Sri Lankans have settled down to a level of despair and resignation over many issues that concern their lives. In the consumer rights front, the despair is that to file a complaint is a cumbersome process and even if it is done, often – as our poll showed – complainants are at the receiving end as the business world invariably wins the day.
One respondent said that their experience is that ‘when you complain about a product, you could be insulted or harassed”. Where is the traditional “consumer is king’ happening in today’s marketing books? Has it changed to the ‘trader is king” guide?
In the meantime the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) must be commended for launching a campaign to insist that all manufacturers clearly explain the ingredients in the labelling, and also awareness amongst school children and adults on the rights of consumers.
The CAA move coincidentally comes during the same week of the BT-RCB poll where one of the questions asked was whether people were aware about the ingredients used in food.
Strong consumer rights activism is critical in any country and Sri Lanka is sadly lacking in any meaningful action in this area. There have been a few attempts to form Colombo-based groups. Unfortunately these were all connected to some seminar or workshop recommendation where, after a few meetings, these groups disintegrate after discussing ways of activating consumers to stand up for their rights.
Consumer activism came to the fore in the recent issues relating to imported milk food. In any other country, safety concerns over any food product would have drawn consumer groups into action to the point of virtually shutting down sales till the safety of such foods were established. The Sunday Times in an earlier story on the contaminated milk food story had sought the views of people and at the time many were unaware that there was an issue over milk food in the first place!
Consumer activism is absolutely essential to ensure companies have not only honest intentions in the food and consumables they produce but also in correct and clear labelling of products. A strong consumer movement in the West has spawned a variety of ‘green’ products, ethically-manufactured products like ‘clean clothes’ among others.
In Sri Lanka unfortunately, the villains in the food industry go scot free for three reasons: lack of policing by food authorities, corrupt officials and lack of a strong consumer resistance movement. The latest issue facing hapless consumers is the growing private healthcare industry which is minting money at the expense of poor patients who are forced to take a number of tests and wait long hours for consultants after paying exorbitant fees in hospitals where minor staff are as indifferent as in state hospitals.
Given the desperate need for consumer activism here, the Business Times is prepared to lend its support to a large consumer movement that would keep companies in check and ensure what Sri Lankans consume is palatable, reasonably priced and safe.
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