Ismail’s boycott call baseless and should be censured, says PAC chief

Public Accounts Committee chairman, Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed criticised fellow Umno member, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's racial statementl to boycott Chinese businesses. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, February 7, 2015.

Umno minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob's call to boycott Chinese businesses in order to force down the prices of goods in baseless and not rooted in facts, said Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed, a fellow Umno MP.

The Public Accounts Committee chairman said it was wrong for a cabinet minister to speak along racial lines as it would impact the thinking of people.

"What Ismail Sabri said was not based on facts, now he is saying he did not say it, the top leadership needs to make a strong stand on this," Nur Jazlan said in Kuala Lumpur today.

Nur Jazlan, the Pulai MP, also said he was disappointed with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for not issuing a stern statement against Ismail, who is the agriculture and agro-based industries minister.

"I am upset that the prime minister did not issue a stern statement against what Ismail said, instead he supported him on the matter," he said.

Ismail, who is also the Bera MP, drew flak when he blamed Chinese businesses for not reducing the prices of goods in a Facebook post. Several groups have called for him to resign or for Najib to sack him from the cabinet.

Instead, the Prime Minister's Department in a statement defended Ismail's Facebook post, saying the Umno minister was not targeting any specific race.

The prime minister said the cabinet was told that Ismail's post was a reminder for all businesses to lower the price of their goods.

It said the comments were "meant to rebuke traders who refuse to lower the price of goods" despite lower fuel price.

Nur Jazlan, however, said that the cabinet represented the highest decision making process.

"It paints an impression on the way our leaders think," the MP said.

He also said that the country's leadership needed to be more progressive in order to raise the efficiency of the country's economy and must stop making populist statements.

Ismail had written in his post that Malay consumers had a role in helping the government fight profiteers by using their collective power to lower the price of goods.

"The majority of consumers are Malay, Chinese are a minority, if the Malays boycott their businesses, they will surely have no choice but to reduce their prices," he wrote on the social networking site.

Ismail, who is the former domestic trade and consumerism minister, had confirmed to The Malaysian Insider that he had posted the statement on his Facebook account.

But he has refused to apologise for the statement, insisting that a boycott of profiteers would benefit all Malaysians and has asked people to "move on" from the incident.

The minister is also embroiled in a controversial allegation he reportedly made against Perak DAP adviser Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, whom he claimed had shares in the popular OldTown White Coffee cafe chain owned by OldTown Bhd.

"Malays are still refusing to boycott (OldTown White Coffee) what more when its owner is said to be the DAP Ngeh family of Perak, who are known to be anti-Islam.

"As long as the Malays don't change, the Chinese will take the opportunity to oppress the Malays," he had written.

- TMI