CORONAVIRUS | Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Deputy Minister Rosol Wahid has defended his former secretary-general Hasnol Zam Zam Ahmad's over a letter granted to alcohol beverage producer Heineken Malaysia Bhd which went viral on social media.
"There are reports stating that the minister (Alexander Nanta Linggi) and I were not informed about the matter by Hasnol. That is untrue. We knew about it," the PAS lawmaker told Harian Metro.
The government announced Hasnol's transfer to the Companies Commission of Malaysia yesterday, (CCM) a day after the letter was made public.
It was unclear if the transfer, effective April 1, was related to the letter.
Rosol said there might have been a misunderstanding that the approval letter to Heineken was to allow it to continue production during the movement control order (MCO).
Instead, he said the approval was for Heineken to distribute its existing stock.
"What happened may have been a misunderstanding about the letter that was made viral.
"The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry has no power to grant permission to operate. That is under the International Trade and Industry Ministry," he added.
Yesterday, Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who is also the senior minister overseeing the MCO, said the International Trade and Industry Ministry would issue a letter to Heineken to revoke its approval.
This came after Bersatu, Umno and PAS, all component parties in the Perikatan Nasional government, protested the approval.
Under the MCO, which was implemented on March 18 to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus, only essential services are allowed to operate.
The MCO is scheduled to end on April 14 but could be extended.
On April 10, the Health Ministry would furnish the government with the relevant data for it to decide if the partial lockdown should continue. - Mkini
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