DAMMAM — The Eastern Province Municipality has said it is not responsible for monitoring the prices of consumer products, adding that this is the role of the Consumer Protection Association (CPA), Al-Hayat newspaper reported. The municipality said its role is limited to ensuring that food products have prices on them, but it has nothing to do with the recent increases in prices. The municipality pointed out that monitoring prices is the responsibility of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, represented by CPA. It said its role is monitoring the hygiene levels of shops and workers and ensuring that food products have not expired and are stored properly. The CPA's website, however, carries a statement asking all concerned government bodies, including the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the municipalities and the Council of Competition Protection (CCP), to adhere to their responsibilities. It said these authorities are required to officially ask businesses to keep prices low and prevent monopolization, which it claimed were harmful to consumers. The CPA has not pursued its duties in consumer protection since its establishment five years ago, claimed consumers. The main duty of the CPA is to protect consumers by educating them of their rights, receive their complaints, review them, and follow up with concerned authorities. CPA duties also include protecting consumers from being swindled, counterfeit products, increasing prices aas well as rationalizing consumption. The CPA has stated on its website that its goals are consumer protection, educating consumers, and taking care of their cases. However, consumer Mohammad Al-Zaki said these objectives have not been realized and the CPA does not have any obvious role. He added that the association continuously publishes statements without delivering on them. Ahmad Al-Khaldi, another consumer, said the CPA has disappointed millions of consumers as it has not dealt with the continuous increases in prices. He said vegetable prices have greatly increased during Ramadan and the CPA did not act on that. He considered the CPA to be an organization with no real active role. The newspaper repeatedly tried to contact the president of CPA, Dr. Naser Al-Tuwaim, but did not receive any response.
