Monday January 7, 2013

Rais: Special panel set up to prevent profiteering

KUALA LUMPUR: A special panel has been set up to ensure dealers do not engage in profiteering following the RM200 smartphone rebate.

Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said the panel, comprising officials of telecommunication companies and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), would act against dealers found to be taking advantage of the rebate provision.

“The ministry will complement the panel by monitoring price movements of smartphones,” he said after a friendly badminton match bet-ween the D'Sury team and Bernama at the badminton hall of the old Istana Negara here yesterday.

On Wednesday, the Cabinet agreed not to set a price limit on smartphones purchased by youths between 21 and 30 earning less than RM3,000.

The rebate is being implemented under the Youth Communication Package following the announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when tabling Budget 2013 last September.

Rais hoped the lifting of the earlier price cap of RM500 (on the smartphones that could be purchased under the facility) would draw more youths to register for the rebate.

The registration period ends on Jan 31.

“So far more than 10,000 youths have registered for the rebate and my ministry hopes there will be an exponential rise (in the registration), based on their (youths) ability (to buy) and needs,” he said.

On why they (eligible youths) had to register online to get the rebate, Rais said: “This is one way for the authorities to collate the data and inform the telecommunications industry how many people would like to buy them and meet the market's demand.

“It is not something we do to make things complicated.”

Rais said that if the youths wanted to voice their views or make enquiries, they could contact MCMC at its hotline at 1800-88-4040 or by accessing the commission's website. - Bernama

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Monday January 7, 2013

Rais: Special panel set up to prevent profiteering