KUALA LUMPUR – The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry will not impose bans on foreigners buying local rice in the country.
Speaking at the Dewan Rakyat, its minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu (Kota Raja-PH) dismissed the suggestion, as it is unfair to deny foreigners the right to purchase rice.
“A decision has not been made, because foreigners also have to eat,” he said during his winding-up speech on the 12th Malaysia Plan’s mid-term review today.
“Let us not forget that they have worked to help develop our country. So, for now, there are no plans to stop them (from buying local rice).”
He was responding to Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (Machang-PN), who asked if the ministry had decided on a suggestion by a Melaka executive councillor to ban the sale of local rice to foreigners.
Previously, several videos surfaced on social media, allegedly depicting foreigners hoarding rice and packet cooking oil.
At the same time, Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh suggested prohibiting foreigners from purchasing local rice as it was a matter of prioritising locals, and not discrimination.
While Akmal agreed the suggestion is not efficacious in the long term, he said it could at least reduce the public burden during the initial phase of the crisis. – September 18, 2023