Netizens curious about Johari Abdul’s call to eat “ubi kayu” now

 

PARLIAMENT speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul is not spared by netizens for saying that since rice is expensive, people should start eating “ubi kayu” as this is a more affordable alternative. His statement is drawing both curiosity and concern on social media.

While his intentions seem good since he emphasised the need for nutritional substitutes while supply solutions for the scarce local rice are explored, netizens are divided on the issue.

Some are saying there is a pattern emerging within the Pakatan Harapan (PH) to find easy solutions that at times can be seen as ridiculous.

Nevertheless, Johari advocated for the utilisation of idle land for food crops.

Some netizens are up in uproar against Johari on the X platform. One user said such statements may cause foreign countries to consider the country’s economy and administration as problematic.

Others are saying the price of cassava or ubi kayu is much more unaffordable than rice. It could cost the average Malaysian family a lot more to consume this substitute.

However, some users defended Johari’s statement, saying they understood that he did not ask Malaysians to stop eating white rice, but rather to diversify their nutritional intake.

This may also promote a healthier lifestyle, they argue.

A user said it recalled the days of the Japanese occupation, which his mother used to narrate. He said this brings us back to the Japanese occupation time in Malaya when people were forced to eat ubi kayu because there was no ‘beras’.

- Focus Malaysia