A PAS-led group of about 700 people today failed to hand over a memorandum to the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) urging it stop alleged sale of palm oil to a “Jewish company”.
Guards at Felda headquarters at Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur refused to open the gates or allow representatives in to submit the memorandum to Felda chairperson Isa Samad.
“This is how they treat Malaysians, as if Felda belongs to their parents,” PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu told the demonstrators.
“Even at the Istana Negara they accept and allow representatives in.”
According to Felda settler rights NGO Anak president Mazlan Aliman, Felda was informed via fax and email prior to the demonstration today.
Guards at Felda headquarters at Jalan Semarak, Kuala Lumpur refused to open the gates or allow representatives in to submit the memorandum to Felda chairperson Isa Samad.“This is how they treat Malaysians, as if Felda belongs to their parents,” PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu told the demonstrators.
“Even at the Istana Negara they accept and allow representatives in.”
According to Felda settler rights NGO Anak president Mazlan Aliman, Felda was informed via fax and email prior to the demonstration today.
In the memorandum, Mazlan claims that Felda subsidiary Felda Iffco Oil Products Sdn Bhd is assisting the Jewish cause by selling raw palm oil to a Singapore-based Jewish company.
He said that by allowing Felda to sell palm oil to a Jewish company, the government is “in cahoots with Israel”.
‘Secret ties to Israel’
“We urge the government and Felda to immediately halt the sale of palm oil by Felda Iffco and any Malaysian plantation company to Israel or Jewish companies.
“We do not lose out by rejecting trade with Jewish companies as there are many other countries who are ready to buy palm oil from Malaysia,” he said.
He added that Malaysia’s “secret ties to Israel” also reveals the government’s hypocrisy.
Also appended to the memorandum are purported trade documents showing that palm oil was shipped by Felda Iffco to Bunge Agribusiness Singapore via Pasir Gudang this year.
According to its website, Bunge Limited - a food processing corporation - was founded in 1818 in Amsterdam and is now present in 40 countries.
However, it has no operations in Israel. It became a public-listed company in 2001 and now employs more than 35,000 people worldwide.
About half of those at the demonstration today were tertiary students, some from institutions outside of Kuala Lumpur, who had marched from the US embassy at Jalan Tun Abdul Razak.
The demonstrators called for the destruction of Israel, and carried placards denouncing trade with the nation, including one placard carried by a demonstrator that read: ‘A drop of Felda palm oil = one Zionist bullet’.
Responding to a similar call for a trade boycott in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz said that Malaysia practices open trading and cannot determine the end location of its products.
However, Malaysia has no diplomatic or direct trade relations with Israel.
He said that by allowing Felda to sell palm oil to a Jewish company, the government is “in cahoots with Israel”.
‘Secret ties to Israel’
“We urge the government and Felda to immediately halt the sale of palm oil by Felda Iffco and any Malaysian plantation company to Israel or Jewish companies.
“We do not lose out by rejecting trade with Jewish companies as there are many other countries who are ready to buy palm oil from Malaysia,” he said. He added that Malaysia’s “secret ties to Israel” also reveals the government’s hypocrisy.
Also appended to the memorandum are purported trade documents showing that palm oil was shipped by Felda Iffco to Bunge Agribusiness Singapore via Pasir Gudang this year.
According to its website, Bunge Limited - a food processing corporation - was founded in 1818 in Amsterdam and is now present in 40 countries. However, it has no operations in Israel. It became a public-listed company in 2001 and now employs more than 35,000 people worldwide.
About half of those at the demonstration today were tertiary students, some from institutions outside of Kuala Lumpur, who had marched from the US embassy at Jalan Tun Abdul Razak.
The demonstrators called for the destruction of Israel, and carried placards denouncing trade with the nation, including one placard carried by a demonstrator that read: ‘A drop of Felda palm oil = one Zionist bullet’. Responding to a similar call for a trade boycott in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz said that Malaysia practices open trading and cannot determine the end location of its products.
However, Malaysia has no diplomatic or direct trade relations with Israel.
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