The NGO that cry wolf
I always think CAP (consumer association of Penang) tend to over-react and point out bad practices and so-called unhealthy issues just for the sake of it. They have small booklets opposing anything and everything they could possibly think of from women wearing mini-skirts (apparently it is bad for health, go figure) to the more legit ones of high amount of pesticides being used in vegetables and fruits.
It is all and well if they were to act as a real watchdog over unscrupulous companies that do not bother to keep to the health guidelines set by our government or better, by the World Health Organisation. However, I have found that they tend to get their facts wrong and yes, they too tend to be biased. They will raise a furore just because they wanted to.
Take the call for a ban of handphones back in May. They based that on some obscure research which did not even prove a direct link between handphone use and cancer while there are numerous other research which proved that there were no direct link between handphone use and cancer. I even wrote about it here.
Then recently there is this complaint that PBA has been using bleach to clean the dam but it turned out that they were using some cleaning agent and it was not the dam, just the side walls where the scuds flow down a drain and NOT into the dam. This means that they had once again got their facts wrong.
NGOs like this should not be raising panic amongst the people with their sensational press conferences (which will be splashed across all newspapers). They should at least get their facts right and CHECK with the people they are complaining against first. Only when they had gathered enough evidence and with an unfavourable response from ‘perpetrator’ then they should publicise their so-called ‘breaking’ news.
If all CAP ever do is just to complain over this and that, like a naggy, grumpy old grandma, then it is not really representing consumers because aren’t they suppose to help consumers by giving them solutions too? What’s the point of complaining no end when they do not even try to find a solution for consumers?
Might as well change their name to Complaining Association of Penang.
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Hi, saw your blog in PPS.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:31 amI have to agree with you on the CAP getting facts wrong, I also have noticed them writing things that are poorly researched, and often not referenced at all. It can really spoil any beneficial effect they may be having.