Race to register new consumer association for Sabah

With the demise of the Consumer Association of Sabah and Labuan (CASH), the rush is on to fill the vacuum left by it.

A group of former members, Led by protem president James Bagah, submitted their application to register the Sabah Consumer Rights Movement (Pergerakan Hak Pengguna Sabah) to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) yesterday.

Bagah is the former secretary-general of the CASH (a.k.a Sabah Consumer Association or SCA). CASH, whis was led by Datuk patrick Sindu, was deregistered in mid 2009.

The new group is competing with a couple of other interested parties who have also applied to the ROS to be registered as the main consumer body for the state.

Bagah did not view this as a problem, saying: "The more the merrier and the better, because the objectives are to look after the interest of consumers and at the end of the day it is the consumers who will benefit,"

Bagah said the new movement was formed in response to calls for a new association that would be transparent and free from political manipulation.

"After CASH/SCA was deregistered there was no consumer association to look after the interest of consumers in Sabah," he explained.

"We invite all the former members of CASH/SCA to join us, including former government servants involved in consumerism," he said at a press conference called after the group met ROS officials.

"We have already informed the President of FOMCA (Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations) of our intention to form a new movement," he said.

He said moves were being made to link the new movement with consumer-based organisations outside the country such as in Australia as part of their effort to boost its effectiveness in serving consumers in Sabah.

Bagah, a former politician, said he has retired from active politics.

"As for Datuk Patrick Sindu, we consider what is happening (the de-registration of SCA) as a great loss to the consumers in Sabah. But because of his vast experiences in consumer-related matters and connections we invite him to join us as an ordinary member of the movement," he said.

courtesy of FreeMalaysiaToday