Asia Sentinel : Kumpulan Elit Sasar Monopoli Ayam Pula. Soalannya : Siapa Peduli? Persatuan Pengguna Pun Buat Tak Tahu.

 

• Currently the whole chicken supply chain in Malaysia is in turmoil. 
• The chicken industry was previously one of the best managed and self-sufficient farming sub-sectors in the Malaysian economy. 
• Now it is almost destroyed due to the government manipulating prices
• It appears regulation of the food industry has led to massive corruption and diversion of strategic food industries to cronies.

 

Mukaddimah :

Dalam negara kita dari dulu sampai sekarang parti politik tidak peduli sangat nasib rakyat biasa. Apa yang saya melihat parti politik lebih pentingkan duit saku dan survival dia sendiri daripada berjuang untuk kebaikan rakyat marhaen.   "Satu untuk kau dua untuk aku lah".

Selain dari parti politik saya melihat NGO-NGO dan persatuan-persatuan yang kononnya pembela nasib bangsa, agama dan entah apa pun lebih kurang serupa juga. 

Ada yang mungkin jadi tali barut kumpulan kaya dan elit atau  menjadi budak suruhan orang politik juga untuk berpura-pura perjuangkan nasib rakyat tetapi sebenarnya mereka lebih mempertahankan kedudukan kumpulan elit.

Tuan-Tuan ingat tak tahun sudah ada dua hero mewakili NGO entah mana yang membuat kenyataan video bahawa mereka akan mendedahkan maklumat berkenaan kartel daging yang telah beroperasi selama berpuluh tahun. 

Apa sudah jadi kepada kedua hero itu? Wahai media Melayu, ada makan roti telur tak? Pergi lah siasat sikit. Sampai hari ini isu kartel daging itu tak jadi apa pun. Semua senyap.

Sehingga hari ini saya tidak melihat (kalau ada pun saya tak dengar suara kau orang lah) NGO-NGO atau persatuan pengguna Melayu atau yang jenama Islam yang bantah monopoli berlesen dalam negara kita. 

Monopoli berlesen maksudnya monopoli yang ditauliahkan oleh Kerajaan. Monopoli tol, monopoli AP untuk impot kereta (dan seterusnya harga kereta impot jadi antara yang termahal di dunia - yang akibatkan harga kereta tempatan pun jadi lebih mahal daripada pasaran dunia), monopoli impot beras, monopoli / oligopoli syarikat telefon cellular, monopoli / oligopoli tenaga (energy) ataupun oligopoli perbankan yang mencekik darah orang biasa.

Saya tidak mendengar NGO-NGO "pejuang bangsa Melayu" (contohnya) bantah monopoli jalanraya tol, membayar tol sampai kiamat, bantah AP impot kereta atau pelbagai cukai impot kereta yang tinggi yang merugikan rakyat marhaen.  Termasuk persatuan-persatuan pengguna yang gunakan jenama agama, bangsa dan entah apa. Very quiet.

Apabila monopoli dan oligopoli itu diberi lesen oleh Kerajaan maka suara-suara bantahan pun senyap atau 'low volume'. Sound system nya kurang bising. Ataupun apabila monopoli dan oligopoli itu di conrol oleh orang kaya Melayu, oleh GLC (syarikat kerajaan) - maka bantahan nya pun kurang atau tiada langsung.

Kalau bangsa lain (terutama sekali Cina) sudah lama bertapak dalam sesebuah industri atau perniagaan sudah tentu bermacam-macam bantahan dan usaha akan dibuat untuk "sekat Cina yang control supply".  Tetapi bila monopoli itu di pegang oleh "orang kita" takpa, its ok, kita sanggup bayar lebih. Kita rela bodoh. 

Ingat lagi tak lagu World Cup Football - Ole Ole Ole Ole, Ole Ole Ole Ole. Ganti 'Ole' dengan 'bodoh'.

Yang berikut adalah satu lagi laporan yang sepatutnya membuka hati pembaca - yang ditulis oleh Professor Murray Hunter dalam akhbar Asia Sentinel. Saya petik rencana ini daripada  Free Malaysia Today.

From Murray Hunter

The shortage of McDonald’s french fries earlier this month in Malaysia is symbolic of a much bigger national problem. Many food items are in short supply and subject to rapidly rising prices.

Some analysts claim that rising prices and shortages are the result of supply chain glitches, natural disasters, and labour shortages. However, the food crisis cannot be considered just a cyclic issue as there are deep structural issues involved.

• Malaysia imports nearly 60% of its food needs. 
• Consequently, food security is a major issue. 
• In 2019, Malaysia produced only 46% of its vegetables, 70% of its rice, 61% of its fruits, 25% of its beef, 11% of its mutton, and 5% of its dairy requirements. 
• The food import bill in 2020 was RM 55.5 billion. 

• Five million hectares of land is cultivated with palm oil, 
• 1 million hectares with rubber
• while only 1 million hectares are utilised for food production
• mostly in the hands of smallholders.
  

In the 1980s then-prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamed was warned of the dangers of a narrowly-diversified agricultural sector. Mahathir set his sights on developing a high-tech economy with his pet projects to the detriment of developing agriculture. Thus, agriculture was neglected during the 1990s, until Mahathir’s first retirement in 2003.

(OSTB :  Dr Mahathir memang kurang minat sektor pertanian. Dalam buku The Malay Dilemma dan tulisan-nya yang lain Dr Mahathir kaitkan kemiskinan orang Melayu di kampong dengan kerjaya pertanian. Farmers are poor. Ini mungkin satu observation atau pandangan yang benar di Kedah dan tempat lain tetapi ia tidak bermaksud bahawa pertanian yang menyebabkan orang Melayu jadi miskin. Farming does not make you poor. Kita jadi miskin apabila kita tidak boleh berfikir secara moden. Kalau petani diberi traktor tetapi traktor ditinggalkan untuk beberapa hari kerana petani itu "terpaksa" hadir khenduri di tempat lain maka dia akan rugi lah. Traktor itu mahal. Salahnya bukan kepada traktor tetapi salahnya ialah rasa segan kalau tidak hadir khenduri orang. )

The mentality within the corridors of power in Putrajaya has been that the value of commodity exports far exceeds the nation’s food import bill, thus alleviating any need to bump up local food production.

(OSTB: Murray I disagree here. There is no mentality in Putrajaya. Period.)

Under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who came to office as prime minister in 2003, much more effort was put into revitalising the agricultural sector. He launched the biotechnology initiative and economic development corridors across the country, which made a major focus on agriculture.  These programmes were continued under Najib Razak.

(OSTB: And yet there is a food crisis? Badawi wanted to plant rice on 40,000 hectares of unproven land in Sarawak. I guess money was spent. But no extra rice has come from Sarawak.)

However, Putrajaya developed the solution that agriculture development would be led by government agencies and GLCs which would be benevolent to local communities. This resulted in a great wastage of money and resources, and in corruption among bureaucrats, with government-linked companies using the opportunity for land grabs.

(OSTB: Spot on. Orang Kerajaan buat duit, makan rasuah dan balun duit rakyat. Tetapi NGO Melayu dan persatuan pengguna jenama agama jarang bangkitkan isu ini. Bila kumpulan elit Melayu terlibat rasuah dan monopoli, atau kumpulan politik, kumpulan GLC dsbnya maka NGO-NGO Melayu kurang bising. Atau diam terus.)

 
Bureaucrats and consultants came up with culturally untenable ideas such as creating padi estates, which would lease smallholder land to make economically viable land holdings, and hiring landowners as labourers. The latest idea is smart farming, with high intensity investments in technology benefitting consultants and nobody else.

(OSTB: Bukan 'consultants' tetapi "con-sultans". Kambing jamnapari Afrika jadi apa? Bau dagingnya terlalu "kambing" sangat, lebih minat dimakan oleh singa di Afrika. 'Con-sultan' kambing Jamnapari tidak buat 'taste test'. Not even once. Taste test maksudnya dia mesti masak daging kambing Jamnapari lepas itu suruh orang taste dan bagi feedback samada sedap atau tak sedap. Dan demand atau permintaan paling besar bagi daging kambing dalam negara kita adalah dikalangan orang India. Secara per capita consumption - merekalah consumer terbesar daging kambing. Tetapi India itu bangsa..err..bangsa lain kan? Nak taste test apa pula dengan depa? Ole Ole Ole Ole..)

Monopolies and regulation

With Umno back in power, industry sources told the writer that a play is being made for undisclosed interests to take over the broiler industry in the country.

(OSTB: Ini Murray Hunter cakap. Bukan saya cakap ok. Jangan marah saya tau. Murray Hunter cakap orang tertentu sedang cuba control bekalan ayam dalam negara kita. Mereka mahu buat monopoli (atau oligopoli). Kemungkinanya mereka akan diberi lesen oleh orang yang pegang kuasa. Percayalah mesti ada kaum elit Melayu kaya yang akan terlibat. Tuan-tuan rakyat marhaen boleh buat apa? Tuan-tuan bayar saja - kalau harga ayam naik, bayar saja. Atau Tuan-Tuan boleh makan kangkung. Ole Ole Ole Ole.

NGO-NGO Melayu dan persatuan pengguna jenama agama, bangsa dan entah apa boleh buat apa? Nothing will happen. Buat tak tahu saja.

The industry has been hit with rising feed prices, substantially adding to production costs. Late last year the government set a maximum price of RM9.10 per kg retail, well below the current poultry (chicken) monthly price of US$2.89 (RM12.40) per kg on the Mundi Index.

The government’s maximum price has caused companies producing chicken for the wholesale and retail markets to cease production. Other producers have switched to producing value-added chicken-based products not subject to price controls, or selling chicken through the black market.

• The government has allowed some 35 companies to import chicken on a temporary basis to alleviate chronic shortages in the market.
• These highly sought-after import permits or APs were, according to industry sources, not given out fairly.  
• There are wide spread claims by players within the industry that a cartel of companies is preparing to enter the market as producers, once existing producers have closed down.

The APs carry unrealistic terms and conditions according to industry sources
permits have taken months to obtain from Department of Veterinary Services 
and according to a CEO who wished to remain anonymous, involved requests for unspecified payments to obtain the required signatures for approval.

 

(OSTB :  Dia macam ini Tuan-Tuan. 
Kalau ada 'unrealistic terms and conditions' maka harga ayam akan naik. 
Kalau not given out fairly harga ayam akan naik.
Kalau ada cartel nak masuk harga ayam akan naik.
Kalau taken months to obtain, harga ayam akan naik.
Kalau ada unspecified payments, harga ayam akan naik.

Tuan-Tuan yang kena bayar harga tinggi. Bayar saja lah. 

Ole Ole Ole Ole.

Currently the whole chicken supply chain in Malaysia is in turmoil. 
The chicken industry was previously one of the best managed and self-sufficient farming sub-sectors in the Malaysian economy. 
Now it is almost destroyed due to the government manipulating prices.

 

(OSTB :  Murray Hunter kata bekalan ayam sudah  almost destroyed due to the government manipulating prices.

Hello, ini Murray Hunter yang cakap. Bukan saya cakap. Jangan marah saya tau. Soalannya NGO-NGO Melayu, persatuan pengguna Melayu jenama agama, bangsa, maruah Melayu dsbnya tak buat apa-apa ke? Protes lah brader. Go and protest. Your own people jadi miskin dulu. 

Kalau Cina buat monopoli kau orang jadi psycho. Kalau Melayu buat monopoli kau orang senyap saja. Bukan saja kepala kau botak, otak hang pun sudah siru.

Those companies using the APs are converting the chicken into finished consumer products that are beyond government price controls, or end up being sold on the black market. It appears regulation of the food industry has led to massive corruption and diversion of strategic food industries to cronies.

Restrictive market regulation is only presenting politicians and bureaucrats with opportunities for self-benefit, and for cronies, the opportunities to create monopolies.

The issues of food security and corruption within the regulated food chain fall under the responsibility of the agriculture and food industries minister, Ronald Kiandee. The minister will have a lot of questions to answer over the coming months.

Murray Hunter is an independent researcher and former professor with the Prince of Songkhla University and Universiti Malaysia Perlis.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.