PETALING JAYA: Two Pakatan Harapan MPs have taken Bukit Gantang MP Syed Abu Hussin Hafiz Syed Abdul Fasal to task for prematurely announcing the “Madani white rice” initiative when it had not been decided by Putrajaya yet.
Sri Gading MP Aminolhuda Hassan and Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim questioned why Syed Hussin was hasty in not waiting for a Cabinet announcement on such an important policy.
Aminolhuda told FMT that such a major decision and announcement must be approved by the Cabinet, or the government would incur public wrath.
“Don’t incite anger or confusion towards the government,” he said, adding that such a decision must be backed by the ministries of finance, domestic trade and cost of living, and agriculture, among others.
The Amanah man also said the announcement could have caused confusion among enforcement authorities monitoring the prices of rice in the market.
Hassan, of PKR, said Syed Hussin should realise that an announcement on the rice prices should only be made by the minister in charge, Mohamad Sabu.
“Syed Hussin shouldn’t be too hasty. He’s not a member of the Cabinet,” said Hassan.
Syed Hussin, a Bersatu member, was appointed as the chairman of the food prices and cost of living committee of the National Action Council on Cost of Living last month after declaring support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
On Wednesday, he announced that the government would introduce “Madani white rice” as the sole category of white rice in Malaysia from March 1, combining the local white rice and imported white rice categories.
He reportedly said Anwar had approved its introduction and given him the mandate to announce it.
However, Mohamad said Syed Hussin’s announcement was just a suggestion and that any announcement will only be made by the Cabinet, while government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil denied that the government made a U-turn on the matter as the Cabinet had yet to decide on Syed Hussin’s “suggestion”. - FMT
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