GIVING a voice to the little people-that is the objective of the Consumers' Association of Penang. And that's what we have been doing since our establishment in 1970.

CAP is a consumer organization with a difference. Fighting for fair prices and good quality products and services is just one of our many activities. Our main concern is ensuring the right of every consumer to basic needs such as food, housing, health care, sanitation facilities, public transport, education and a clean environment. We want to encourage within the people-especially the poor whose needs often go unnoticed-the spirit and the confidence to represent their case to government, to the public and to the private companies that oppress them.

Through research, educational and representational activities, we hope to influence people at all levels: so that policy makers in government look at how their development policies affect ordinary people, and give priority to basic needs; so that ordinary people think more critically and have the strength to resist trends and practices (eg smoking, gambling) that can only make their lives more deprived.

To carry out the various activities, CAP has the following sections:

Research Section

• Has various subsections, each focussing on specific issues such as health and nutrition, food and product safety, pharmaceuticals, basic needs, environmental problems, market malpractices, finance, workers' rights, unethical advertising practices culture and lifestyle, and issues related to women.
• Studies and surveys on these issues are arried out and sometimes, tests are conducted to check the safety and quality of foodstuff and consumer products.

Community and Rural Section

• Works with communities such as plantation workers, fishermen, farmers, rubber smallholders, tenants and squatters, etc. and helps them articulate problems related to their livelihood and living conditions.
• Also provides them with basic consumer education on issues such as food, nutrition and health. This is done through talk, discussions, house-to house counselling, slide shows and exhibitions.

Education Section

• Provides consumer education for many groups, including school and college students, teachers, women and youth groups, and religious organisations. Organises seminars, workshops, exhibitions and drama competitions on consumer issues.
• Attention is particulary given to school students as they are the future parents and policy makers. The section has helped to set up consumer clubs in mo0re than 200 schools in Penang and other states.

Though its consumer education programmes, CAP hopes that a new generation of conscious, concerned and committed citizens will emerge.

Complaints Section

• Handles complaints from the public on all kinds of issues eg. Poor quality products and services, food adulteration, received annually through the mail, by phone and personal visit from irate consumers.

Legal Section

• Handles public interest cases and represents communities in need of legal assistance.
• Works closely with the Complaints Section to provide legal advice to consumers and to monitor laws that affect consumers.

Publications Section

• Produces CAP's news magazine, Utusan Konsumer. The Utusan has four editions-English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil. Except for the fortnightly English edition, the others are published monthly.
• Produces a monthly magazine for primary schoolchildren, called Utusan Lanak-Kanak.
• Works closely with the other sections to produce books, reports and pamphlets on various consumer issues. Also produces educational kits and posters for distribution to the public and for use during CAP's education programmes.

Media Section

• Produces and maintains audio visual materials (videos, cassettes and slides) for use during CAP's education programmes.
  
• Coordinates CAP's major campaigns eg. the anti smoking campaign and the anti alcohol campaign.

The library

• Maintains a wide range of books, journals, reports and pamphlets as well as a newsclipping collection to serve the reference needs of the various sections in CAP.