Ever since the Consumer Protection Agency has become a solid and known organization in the Sultanate of Oman, we have not heard nor seen any development in the scene of curbing the prices of consumer products like FMCGs (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) and yet the Central Bank of Oman releases a new weather report on the local economy saying that due to high product prices, the country's inflation has risen by more than 62% to more than 4%, all within a year's time period.
That's not to mention that high rising prices of houses, rents, raw materials and people's desperation to secure for themselves a roof over their head is still an issue to be solved although there has been an announcement that the government is in fact importing cement to help bring down the prices and offer a temporary solution to the problematic situation in Oman right now.
This is all due to the decreasing exchange price of the pegged Omani currency to the US Dollar, the increase of number of projects at one time here in Oman and our enforced agreement of the WTO that includes a sole rule that states that there should be no governmental interference into local trade competition - except in this case; there is only one company that supplies such raw materials, in the sense of the word: monopolization.
So then, in this case, what is the point of a consumer protection agency if it has no authority and cannot do anything except lead by speeches and such?
If words cost money, then they should just keep their silence.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Consumer Protection Agency .. my foot
Posted by Sleepless In Muscat at 00:39
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7 comments:
So then, in this case, what is the point of a consumer protection agency if it has no authority and cannot do anything except lead by speeches and such?
Maybe it's time for the CPA to become an independent agency with full authorities?
they can't even do the simplest of things and put up a website to say what in the heck they're responsible for.
I mean, this organization is totally retarded
Oman doesn't have a Consumer Protection Agency. We have the Oman Association for Consumer Protection, which is a non-governmental organization that's quite young and still not very well known. And we have a department in the ministry of commerce concerned with protecting consumer's rights, and there too no one really knows what they do because we don't see them doing much of anything. Like for example have you ever heard of a product recall in Oman? Nokia has just announced the recall of 45 million phone batteries, I don't see our ministry doing anything about it. A few months ago most gulf countries ordered a contact lens fluid to be taken of the market because it caused eye infections. I don't recall Oman doing the same.
NGOs can't have responsibilities. They wouldn't be NGOs if they do. The very fact that they are non-governmental means that they have authorization to do anything. All they can do is bring information out to the public and try to influence public opinion and guide the government towards doing the right thing.
By the way there are two cement companies in Oman, and their total production capacity is more than enough to fill Oman's cement requirement. The government regulates the price of cement and doesn't allow the cement companies to sell at more than a set price. However, the problem is that Oman Cement Company is having production problems and is producing at a lower capacity. Traders are taking advantage of that and selling the cement that they buy from it at a much higher price. That's why the government ordered Oman Cement to buy cement from the international market to cover the shortfall in their production.
The problem in Oman has nothing to do with its WTO membership. It's all about the weak dollar and our government's total refusal to revalue the Omani Rial.
Muscati:
we all know that the Omani government wouldn't just listen to anyone from any association just because they say so and to prove that - the financial professionals think that the Omani Rial should be revalued and is anyone listening?
Hell, no.
We don't need an association that just blabs on and on about what to do and what not to do. We need an organization to DO SOMETHING about it.
There are reasons why the government refuses to revalue the Omani Rial. They actually want a weak rial.
I wrote about it once on my blog, here's the link
Muscati:
Thanks for the link, it clarified a lot of things and put them into perspective.
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