Three opposition MPs stage a demo outside a KR1M outlet to drive home the point that the products in these shops are of inferior quality.
KUALA LUMPUR: Three Pakatan Rakyat MPs staged a demonstration outside a Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M) outlet here to show that the products sold are of inferior quality.
The trio were DAP’s Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, Lembah Pantai MP and PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar and PAS’ Kuala Selangor MP Dzulkefly Ahmad.
On Wednesday, Pua highlighted that products sold in KR1M outlets were more expensive compared to a hypermart.
He also rubisshed the government’s claim that consumers could save up to 40% due to the cheap pricing of products, saying there was only a marginal difference.
Responding to this, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob accused Pua of lying and stressed that the comparison should be between “apple and apple”.
“Any comparison should be as a whole, taking into consideration weight, packaging and most importantly, quality,” he was quoted as saying.
Jam with minimal fruit content
During this morning’s protest, Pua cited the 1Malaysia pineapple jam as an example, saying: “The Food Regulations Act states that there must be no less than 35% fruit content but lab test show that there is only 8.87% fruit content. The balance is jelly.”
He also revealed that the oyster sauce sold in KR1M outlets was actually flavouring.
The Food Regulations Act stipulates that the product should consist natural oyster extract with minimum 2.5% protein.
However, lab findings revealed that the 1Malaysia oyster sauce contained only flavouring and with 0.6% protein.
In addition to that, Pua revealed that after e-coli bacteria was found in the milk, the outlets withdrew the product from the shelves.
According to Dzulkefly, the coliform in the milk was also much higher than permitted levels.
Minister under fire
The MPs also questioned who would shoulder the blame should a customer who consumed these inferior products falls ill.
“Who are the victims going to sue if someone falls sick? All the products are branded as 1Malaysia and 1Malaysia is a government brand,” said Pua.
Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai was also taken to task by the MPs.
“What has he been doing for the past five months since the KR1M shops started? Why didn’t the food and health inspectors check the products?” asked Pua.
Meanwhile, Nurul took a swipe at Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) communications director Mohd Yusof Abdul Rahman for promoting KR1M.
Yusof had reportedly encouraged the public to shop at KR1M because the products were of good quality and cheap.
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