www.ipohecho.com.my FREE COPY IPOH echoechoYour Voice In The Community September 1-15, 2012 PP 14252/10/2012(031136) 30 SEN FOR DELIVERY TO YOUR DOORSTEP – ISSUE ASK YOUR NEWSVENDOR 150 Will Food Poisoning Horrific and PPO’s Superb Debut Ever End? Unforgivable: another child dies Perak Tourism News Page 3 Page 4 Page 6 INSIDE !! Supplement TheBy Louise Sim & See Rising Foon Chan-Koppen Cost Of Living Ipoh, the city which tin built, has lost its lustre as a town with low cost of living. The price of everything, ranging from edibles to non-edibles, has gone up and appears to be on the increase. Gone are the days where one could get a decent meal at a low price here. Some even complain prices in Ipoh are on par with cities like Kuala Lumpur and Penang. So how do people cope? Continued on page 2 2 September 1-15, 2012 IPOH ECHO Your Voice In The Community Eating out is oftentimes more economical than cooking at home etiree K.S. Lim, 70, said he spends about RM50 his very conservative estimate is RM1,440 per month daily to buy meat and vegetables for his small which allows for very little in the way of treats for his Rfamily of seven. “Sometimes the RM50 is not two children. enough for our lunch and dinner,” said the grandfather Leong feeds his family of four for about RM1,650, of two. Lim said that due to supply and demand of with no frills. This would include what he classifies as a foodstuff, some foods tend to be more expensive than normal breakfast for RM20 or RM5 per person; a normal other types of edibles during certain times. lunch of economy rice at RM4 per person (without Citing fish as an example, Lim said river fish will be beverage) averaging about RM600 per month and the highly sought after when fishermen don’t go to sea due to same for dinner. Special breakfasts of dim sum would bad weather. “Consumers can expect to pay a high price bring it up to about RM15 per head. Lunch and dinner for river fish if they insist on eating fish during monsoon at a restaurant consisting of 2 meats, 2 vegetables and seasons,” he explained. When such situations arise, Lim 1 soup would average about RM17 per person whereas said he would change to other types of meat like poultry a homecooked meal of 1 meat, 1 fish, 1 vegetable and 1 or pork. “But if on days all meats are expensive, we will soup with meat works out to the same amount. By the have vegetarian meals,” he quipped. time one factors in the time, labour and costs of gas or electricity, this means that it is oftentimes cheaper to eat Ipoh Not Cheaper than Penang out than to cook at home. Private sector employee, who wished to be known as M. For newly-married couple Rosli Mansor and his Kaur, 36, said she used to think cost of living was lower wife, eating out is the main option which costs the couple in Ipoh prior to her transfer from Penang. “So you can about RM1,200 a month while single Ed Shahir, spends imagine my shock when I found out it was the opposite Abdul Rahman Said Alli about RM500 for his meals. after I relocated here,” she said. The mother of one said food formed a major part of her budget. “Due to my the high price of houses in Ipoh. “Prior to moving to work schedule and having a toddler to take care of, I Ipoh, I thought I could get a double storey house for seldom cook and my husband and I normally eat out,” RM200,000,” she said. “Imagine my shock when a 20’ she said. by 75’ double storey house at First Garden is sold at “I can attest to you it is not cheap to eat out in Ipoh, RM330,000,” she said. contrary to claims by people otherwise,” she added. Besides food, Madam Kaur also complained about the Homecooking for Jeyaraj high cost of public transport within the city. “Recently For Ipoh Echo’s correspondent Jeyaraj, he says that my mother, who came to visit me from Penang, had to home-cooked meals are his preference. “It must be noted take a taxi from town to my house in Meru,” she said. that in home cooking, good grade rice is used, fresh “Can you believe the taxi driver charged her RM18 for and expensive vegetables are bought, expensive fish, the journey?” she exclaimed. “And I thought it is more good quality oil is used, ingredients are clean, masala Kumar family expensive to take taxis in cities like Kuala Lumpur,” she may be homemade or bought from people making it at smirked. home, no colouring or preservatives are used and there is Perak Consumers Association less salt. We can remove chicken skin and excessive fat Perak Consumers Association president Abdul Rahman High Cost of Taxis from mutton and the food is cooked hygienically. Food Said Alli when contacted, blamed the high cost of living Echoing Madam Kaur, her friend Reena Raj, 28, said a is freshly cooked and stored properly. This for me is a in Ipoh on the Government’s plans of wanting to turn taxi ride from the railway station to her home at Taman healthy diet.” With his wife making her own masalas and Malaysia into a high-income nation by 2020. Tinggi, which is next to First Garden, cost her RM13. hand grinding some of the ingredients, Jeyaraj reckons “Why must we be so obsessed with becoming a “It is a mere 6 km drive but it cost me RM13 for the that he spends an average of high-income nation?” he questioned. He claimed that by ride,” she said. “I vowed never to take taxis after that RM990 a month for his pushing the country towards high-income, traders also expensive experience,” she added. family of two. push to have higher income by increasing their prices. Reena also noted that food costs are high in Ipoh. “I He said the problem is more evident during festive normally spend between RM20 and RM30 daily for my Other Family Food seasons when the price of everything skyrockets. “And breakfast and lunch,” said the Kuala Lumpur lass. “And Expenditures I am not talking about the controlled price items,” he mind you, those places where I eat are not high class For Marketing Manager said. places,” she added. Ramesh Kumar, he and his He said the association had been receiving calls Besides transport, Reena also complained about family of four rely on eating from the concerned public daily, over difficulties in out and takeaways. Spending making ends meet. “Our advice to them is to try to look for alternatives,” he said, adding that many people Jeyaraj an average of RM16 on breakfast, lunch and dinner, are working two jobs nowadays just to ensure there is enough income for the family. Marketing EXECUTIVE Ad Sales ● Marketing Degree an advantage ● On-the-Job training provided ● Eager & enthusiastic ● Basic salary + Commission + phone & travel allowance ● Fluent in English & Chinese Rosli and Sarah Email: [email protected] Your Voice In The Community IPOH ECHO September 1-15, 2012 3 IPOHecho Will Food Poisoning Ever End? From the Editor’s Desk by Fathol Zaman Bukhari Is there a long-term solution to food poisoning in schools? If the reasons are poorly prepared food and ill-trained food handlers, why can’t the problem be eradicated for good? ncidence of food poisoning in Perak schools is on the rise. Based on a Perak Health Department report given to Ipoh Echo recently, the trend is on an upward swing from I37 cases in 2008 dipping somewhat to 28 in 2009, 26 in 2010 and 30 cases in 2011. Until August 28, the number of reported cases stands at 29. The latest involved students of Sekolah Agama Bantuan Kerajaan Al-Imam Asy Syafiee in Jelapang. Fifty seven students aged between 13 to 17 years old were treated at the school while a school warden was admitted to the Ipoh General Hospital for observation. The victims had diarrhoea and were vomiting uncontrollably after consuming food prepared at the hostel kitchen for their breaking of fast on the evening of Thursday, August 2. The cause of the poisoning, according to a media report released by Dato’ Dr Mah Hang Soon, Executive Councillor for Health, was chicken rice which was the main dish for the breaking of fast that fateful evening. The report says, “There are several contributing factors why the incidence occurred. The food was poorly stored. It was kept at room temperature and left uncovered for over 4 hours.” The affected premise was closed immediately by the state health department. The canteen operator was told to clean the kitchen and mess hall. He and his staff were given For the first seven months of this year (January to July) a total of 10,837 premises on-the-spot instructions on food safety by health officers. were inspected in the state. They covered schools, restaurants, food courts, hawker stalls Actions by the state health department were commendable, to say the least. The and factories. However, only two hundred and fifteen compound notices, with a face fact that its officers were on the site soon after a report was lodged by the assistant value of RM45,600, were issued. This amounts to barely 2 per cent of the number of medical officer of the Manjoi Government Clinic shows the department’s seriousness in inspections done.