Kok defends criticism of school over anti-palm oil concert

Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok.

PETALING JAYA: Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok has called for open dialogues with all international schools on the palm oil industry, days after hitting out at a school in Kuala Lumpur for organising a concert where students gave a presentation seen as supporting the anti-palm oil lobby.

In a statement today, she said her criticism was not an attempt to stifle freedom of expression but to express disappointment and regret on what she called their lack of understanding of the industry and efforts towards conservation and sustainability.

“While I respect dissenting views on the palm oil industry by anyone, including teachers and students from international schools, I must however insist that they must also be open-minded enough to get the full picture of the real situation,” she said.

“Such openness would allow them to better understand the challenges faced by the small farmers, and the efforts made by the government and the oil palm industry players on many matters including those related to improved sustainable cultivation and conservation.”

Kok had earlier accused the school of not supporting the government’s efforts to counter the anti-palm oil lobby, saying several international schools had not allowed her officers to give talks on the benefits of palm oil.

In her statement today, she said the Malaysian Palm Oil Council had previously experienced difficulties with some international schools in the Klang Valley which had rejected its offer to conduct palm oil awareness sessions with the students.

She also claimed that some parents had complained of teachers at international schools spreading anti-palm oil messages to students in their classes.

“Even the current episode was brought to our attention by a concerned parent of a child attending the said school.”

As primary industries minister, she said, she acknowledged the criticism of the palm oil industry.

“I do not blindly defend certain mistakes made by some industry players in the past.

“What’s important is to rectify such mistakes and to create an improved roadmap that prescribes to achieving greater sustainability goals that include greater care for our environment and wildlife through the Malaysian palm oil supply chain.”

She said it was disheartening to see Malaysians reject their own commodity as the government continues fighting the anti-palm oil campaign in Western countries.

“Only with open dialogues can we even think about bridging the gaps that divide our understanding about this commodity that is the lifeline of many small farmers in our country,” she said. - FMT