Ali promises more legislation to protect Guyanese consumers

By Danielle Campbell-Lowe –

Acting Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali said the ministry is currently working on a hire purchase bill that will protect the rights of consumers in a growing credit-driven sales economy. The minister disclosed that lots of consumers are awaiting the act, due to the wide variation in the hire purchase agreement and services available.
“We must ensure that we provide the consumers with the right legislative framework through which they can be protected, and it is for this reason that we believe a hire purchase act is essential in the present circumstances and business environment.” The minister stated that the hire purchase bill will definitely be a priority of government.

“Together, we must work in educating the consumers not only about their rights but also their responsibility to protect that right.” Speaking at the opening of a symposium in observance of World Consumer Rights Day hosted by the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission at the International Conference Centre, Ali also launched the Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission’s Guidelines on the Return of Goods.
World Consumer Rights Day was celebrated under the theme “Consumer justice now”, suggesting that consumer justice is not accessible in its entirety. “It’s a call to action, not yesterday or tomorrow, but now.”
Ali stated that each individual must understand their role even in a global community, with Guyana playing its part in ensuring that consumer justice is respected and appropriate action is formulated.
Consumer protection
The main aim of the theme is to highlight the importance of consumer protection through innovative actions around the world.
“Not passive or traditional, but innovative action is important because the consumer and the marketplace have changed tremendously from 10 years ago,” Ali said.
He noted that a large percentage of trade, business transactions, simple buying and selling are done through electronic means; pointing to the example of purchasing cars directly from companies in Japan or Singapore without physical interaction with representatives of that company.
“So the mechanism, through which the consumer has access to goods, services and products, has changed and it is therefore important for us to adopt modern methods and techniques to meet the changing expectation of the consumer.”
The second aim, he said, is to press for the implementation of existing United Nations guidelines in sectors and countries where it is weak. Guyana has identified a number of areas in which there is interest in enforcing guidelines and ensuring implementation in keeping with UN declaration.
“We have consumers who are getting their service from electronic means, we have the whole financial sectors; we have global policies and initiatives that in the end create unending problems for the consumers that we must address.”