NAJIB HAS SIGNED HIS POLITICAL DEATH WARRANT: Ismail Sabri's anti-Chinese call UNCIVILIZED - Anwar

SHAH ALAM - Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today chastised federal minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob over the latter’s recent statement on Chinese traders, saying it was not the way a civilised society works.

Anwar said it was “racist” and “factually flawed” to blame Chinese businesses for the high price of goods and services in the country, claiming that it is instead a result of monopolies that were sanctioned by the federal government.

“What Ismail Sabri said was unwarranted and unacceptable in any civilised nation,” he said at a news conference here.

In a Facebook post earlier this week, Ismail Sabri urged Malay consumers to boycott Chinese businesses in a bid to push down prices of goods in tandem with the dip in fuel prices.

He claimed that the traders’ failure to lower prices despite a reduction in fuel costs was a form of sabotage intended to foment disaffection towards the government, which he said was wrongly blamed by consumers for the rising cost of living.

The Cabinet clarified yesterday that the agriculture and agro-based industries minister’s statement was a broad statement aimed at all unscrupulous traders not just the Chinese.

Why let Ismail attack the Chinese when it's the cronies who are given monopolies

Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar today said the federal government should not have let the agriculture and agro-based industries minister off easy by attempting to cover up for his indiscretion, stressing that it should have instead gone “back to the facts and advise accordingly”.

The Permatang Pauh MP also said the government should set the example by first dealing with what he alleged were state-sanctioned monopolies of basic necessities such as rice, flour and sugar, as well as the opaque deals made with the independent power producers.

“The rich cronies are amassing billions of ringgit in profit. Why don’t you talk (about) them?

“It is within the power and authority of the government to reduce its ties (to them),” he said. - Malay Mail