JEDDAH: The Consumer Protection Association (CPA), since officially being created in July 2007 and then receiving official notification from the Council of Ministers for approval of its formation one year ago, has been deemed by a majority of the citizens of the Kingdom as being inactive; however according to a high ranking official from within the independent organization, this is not a choice made by the CPA but is simply due to a lack of funding.

“We are required as per the CPA constitution, drawn up by the government, to be responsible for settling complaints between consumers and local businesses, as well as setting up a toll free number, website, fax and other means to help consumers lodge these complaints.

We should also support government agencies, do research studies and publish them to promote consumer awareness, in addition to organizing conferences to eliminate counterfeit or unsafe goods from the Saudi marketplaces, however all of these projects are on hold because we have no money to begin working on them,” Mohammed Al-Hamad, president of the CPA told Arab News from the organization’s headquarters in Riyadh.

One obstacle, which has become a frustrating road block in obtaining financing for the CPA is the non-received funds the organization is to get on an annual basis from the Kingdom’s chamber of commerce and industry offices.

“According to the CPA Constitution Article 18, revenues of the association, section F, 10 percent of attestation fees of commercial documents charged by the chambers of commerce and industry in each province should be given to the CPA.

This is equal to SR2.50 out of the SR25 fees the chambers charge for stamping or certifying documents which would amount to around SR7 million to SR8 million a year that we are also not receiving and that could be put to good use in helping begin our work,” Al- Hamad explained.

He continued to say that due to the lack of financing he is still not working at the CPA on a full time basis as he should and has still retained his previous job as a professor at a local technical college in Riyadh until a proper amount of funding is received to get the CPA up and running.

However, the CPA is yet to receive any of the promised money from donations in their account.

Al-Hamad said that he is very pleased and grateful to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah that the CPA was approved and set up as an independent organization.

“I believe the CPA is a very necessary part of the society as a voice of the people and as a private organization we are given the power by the government to do our job without any additional pressures and are being allowed to become one of the fairest organizations in assisting citizens in the Kingdom. In the end we only asking to be able to do our job,” he concluded.