Former Umno Kuala Krau lawmaker Ismail Mohamed Said has accepted full responsibility for the disposing of rice and other food stocks at a dumping site in Temerloh, Pahang.
According to the former deputy home minister, the items were part of stockpiles to meet public demand when he was the Kuala Krau lawmaker.
"I take responsibility and deeply regret this incident, and apologise to all parties for the negligence in monitoring the proper disposal of these goods," he said in a statement today.
He said the kitchen goods were provided using personal allocations before the 15th general election period in 2022, and it is known that during the campaign period, no distribution of goods to the public was allowed.
"On April 5 this year, I received a complaint from a neighbour about a foul smell coming from the storage area for these kitchen goods.
"An investigation at this storage area found several dead rats, and the rice and other goods had been contaminated by rice dust/weevils.
"The other items were also no longer suitable for distribution to the public due to contamination," he added.
Ismail denied using the federal or state government allocations to purchase the stockpiles.
He also said some of the rice bags were handed to chicken and duck farmers in the surrounding areas, and some were disposed of.
Earlier, photographs showing dozens of sacks of rice, cans of sardines and flour being dumped in a garbage disposal area near the Rumpun Makmur-Kampung Gunung Senyum bypass route in Temerloh, Pahang, went viral on social media.
This led to some speculating it was one of the reasons for the current shortage of local white rice in the market.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu had ordered an investigation into the matter.
Earlier today, Malaysiakini reported that Pahang Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) already started investigating the matter since yesterday.
Its director Sharudin Hamid said the investigation is being carried out under Section 71(1) of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act (Act 672).
He also confirmed that the illegal dumping site has been operating since 2014 on Felcra-owned land.
Stop speculating
In an update, the Agriculture And Food Security Ministry urged all parties to stop speculating on the matter as it is being investigated by the Temerloh branch of the Paddy and Rice Regulation under the Control of Padi and Rice Act 1994.
The ministry said the Temerloh Paddy and Rice Regulation had determined that the rice was unsuitable for consumption.
“For everyone’s information, any activities of rice disposal should be referred to the Paddy and Rice Regulation, Agriculture And Food Security Ministry,” it said in a statement.
It added that the Federal Territories SWCorp had also gone to the site where the rice had been disposed of. - Mkini
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