ALOR SETAR: The Domestic Trade and Consumers Affairs Ministry has asked the operator of a floating restaurant in Langkawi of the 'siakap dish' controversy to explain its operating costs.
Its state enforcement chief Mohd Shahran Mohd Arshad said the ministry had issued a notice on the request as stipulated under Section 21 of the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011 last Saturday.
"The restaurant operator was given five days to provide the break down of her business operating cost which includes rental, workers' salary, utilities and so on.
"We also asked the operator to explain the cost of purchasing the siakap (barramundi). And, if the fishes are reared there, how much cost would involve aside from the cost for other dishes and beverages sold at the restaurant," he said when contacted today.
Mohd Shahran added that the restaurant operator was also required to furnish receipts and relevant documents to the ministry in the reply.
"Once the restaurant operator provides us with these things in her reply, we will carry out detailed analysis on each of the cost involved to ascertain whether there is any element of unreasonable price increase.
"The notice (however) does not mean that the restaurant operator has committed an offence. We are just requesting for details on the operating cost for analysis purposes," he said.
But Shahran cautioned that action could be taken against the restaurant operator should she fail to respond to the notice.
Meanwhile, Kedah Consumers Association (Cake) secretary Yusrizal Yusof urged restaurant operators in Langkawi to be transparent in explaining the price of dishes to their customers.
"It is common for restaurants to weigh the fish or other seafood products in front of their customers so that they can make an informed decision based on current market price before proceeding with an order.
"But in the recent incident in Langkawi, we were made to understand that such process is not practised at the floating restaurant.
"Hence, the customers claimed that they were caught by surprise upon seeing the bills," he said when contacted.
Yusrizal said Cake viewed the price charged by the said restaurant for the siakap dish as unacceptable.
"We urge the ministry to investigate the incident thoroughly and take stern action against the operator should the restaurant flouted any law or regulation," he said.
The customer who was charged RM1,196 for a siakap dish at the restaurant, had denied that he was properly informed on the fish's size and its weight.
Mohd Faris Zulkarnain claimed that contrary to the restaurant operator's words, he was not informed that the fish was oversized and weighing 7kg.
"The size of the siakap fish that was conveyed to us (using her hand gesture) was different to the one she explained to the media," he said in a Facebook posting on Sunday.
It was reported on Thursday that a group of diners at a floating restaurant in Langkawi were shocked when they were charged RM1,196.80 for the siakap on Wednesday.
The incident went viral on social media when one of the patrons uploaded a copy of the itemised bill and claimed that the price for the siakap dish was exorbitant.
On Friday, Sas Rimba Floating Restaurant owner Norasyikin Musa responded by claiming that the customer had tarnished her business reputation.
She also questioned the customer's real motive behind the post, despite the customer having already agreed to pay for the 11-year-old barramundi fish that weighed more than 7kg, even after being informed of the price.