KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Razak has officially announced that the minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry was only urging consumers to exercise their power to force all traders and not just Chinese ones, to lower the prices of their goods now that the price of oil had fallen considerably in the global market.
In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s office after a post Cabinet meeting, Najib said, “The Cabinet was informed that Ismail Sabri’s remarks regarding the price of goods was directed at all traders, not those of certain ethnicities.”
Adding that the content of his message was more about the power of the consumer that anything racial, he added, “As such, any disputes that may lead to racial polarisation in the country should not be extended as these will only bring detriment to all.”
According to the Malay Mail Online, Najib also appealed to the traders themselves, urging them to be fair and responsible when pricing their goods in accordance with the reduction of the price of oil in the market.
Earlier, when questioned by reporters about his statement, Ismail said, “I cannot comment on the issue for the time being because the PM is discussing it with the Cabinet and getting their views. He will call me up this afternoon.”
Meanwhile the police will record Ismail’s statement today so that investigations can begin into the remarks he posted on Facebook Monday calling for Malays to boycott Chinese traders who only wanted to oppress the Malays by keeping the prices of their goods high.
Ismail also targeted one Chinese-owned restaurant franchise in particular, saying an opposition MP who was anti-Islam, had shares in it.
Despite former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad and now the PM generalising his statement as non-racial, Ismail himself has remained adamant about not apologising for what he wrote.
The Facebook posting however has been pulled down.
