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“Buy Nothing Day” to be observed on July 16 is not a protest of any sort, but a day of self-reflection in relation to consumerism, organisers the Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (FOMCA), said here.
FOMCA president N Marimuthu said the day would be the start of a four-year-long National Consumer Campaign, aimed at changing the mindset of consumers.
“The era of cheap energy and cheap food is over. The focus is on Malaysians to change their consumer behaviour and take greater responsibility in facing these challenges.” Malaysia hiked petrol prices by 41 per cent last month as world oil prices shot up. Prices of rice, water, food has gone up over the last few months, making papers print tips on saving water, electricity, money etc.
On the ‘Buy Nothing Day’, the organisers urged the people to bring food from home if they usually ate out. “Spend time with your family instead of going out. The challenge is easy: try simple living for a day.” “It is also a time to think of spending patterns. How much money do you actually spend on your ‘real’ needs?” Marimuthu said.
Over the next four years, the National Consumer Campaign will also have events like a “No Television Week” and a “Public Transport Week”.
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It, July 16.2008 should actually be "Buy if Necessary day".This is a positive statement .What is it that we normally buy..cosmetics,shoes,dresses,fast foods,gymming and the like.These are not necessary for our daily living.The ad campaigns have hit the bull's eye and we the consumers are trapped.We cant think by ourselves and are carried away by the ads.Can cosmetics make a crow (black) white...NO.This is what my grandma told me thirty years ago.How true.But yet the crazy public goes and buys cosmetics as if their lives depended on it.Again fast foods. There is no nutritive value.However a pizza joint would advertise as if that is what is going to cure you of hunger...as if hunger is a disease.Although many doctors and health workers have said that pizzas,fast foods are bad for health yet their words carry less weight as the pizza ads have paralysed our brains.And now ads are attacking(deliberate use) the young kids below 10.Gain height,white teeth/shirts,baby soft skin,etc.It is just right that a body has now woken up to this brazen attack on the free minds (of consumer) and is trying to make the consumer see the dangers in buying things which in the main are not necessary.I wud like the body to ask the Govt to pass laws so that discriminatory ads are not released like for fairer skin (why not for making darker skins?).I feel consumers bodies should wait outside Malls and dissuade consumers from going on buying binges.Buying is a disease which can render families bankrupt.After all it is not for nothing that economists said "one man's gain is another"s loss".There must be a purchase tax so that families which have spent more than Rs 15000 pm (for a family of five) wud be taxed 50% of the sum spent beyond the limit.K Ramani, Mumbai 5/7/08geetaramani14@rediffmail.com