Ismail Sabri, if you’re a very nice man…
SRMan: Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said, “If I was not a very nice person, I would have attacked him (MCA president Liow Tiong Lai) back, but our boss says it is not good for the cabinet and not good for the PM.”Well, Ismail Sabri, if you are a very nice person, then why did you would try to instigate the Malays to boycott Chinese traders? As we know, the goods may have come from suppliers or manufacturers not connected to the Chinese, such as Bernas and Nestle.If you are a very nice person, then why did you try to confuse the Malays on the authenticity of the ‘halal’ certificate of Old Town White Coffee, falsely linking them to the members of the opposition?
Are you aware that many of the outlets are manned by among others, some well-trained Malay personnel? If their businesses suffer or forced to close shop, these personnel may have to pack their bags.
So, if you are a very nice person, then why did you throw sand into their rice bowls? If indeed you are a very nice person, you should not have started all the nonsense in the first place.
David Dass: This is sad; a minister making a statement calling the Malays to boycott Chinese shops. In any context, this would be seen as a racist statement designed to inflame and provoke one race against another.
Not all traders are Chinese. And not all consumers are Malay. We have laws to ensure competition, and competition ensures competitive prices. And we also have regulations designed to prevent exploitation and exorbitant prices for essential goods.
We have 1Malaysia stores. We have Mydin, Parkson, Giant, Tesco, Jaya, Cold Storage and many mini-markets and other stores. Not all are Chinese-owned.
The minister could have called consumers to avoid stores that charged excessive prices. He could have called enforcement agencies to do checks to ensure compliance of the law.
The minister said that he was responding to blogs where Malay consumers were complaining of Chinese traders whose prices were excessive.
Yes, there is a widespread feeling that prices of essential foods and household items have risen excessively. There is also a widespread feeling that with the reduced price for petrol, the prices of everything should be reduced.
That is not happening or is not happening fast enough. That is the popular perception, no matter the race.
The minister should know that price increases occur for a whole variety of reasons. And if complaints of excessive profiteering are widespread then have the enforcement division of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs conduct an investigation.
It was wrong to pit one race against another. That Ismail Sabri had a group of his supporters to support him in such a manner is even sadder. His unapologetic behavior is inexplicable.
Cantabrigian: Ismail Sabri is entitled to his personal opinion, but he can’t run away from the fact that as a minister, his words carry more weight and influence than any bloke on the street.
Let’s face it, all of us are closet racist one way or another, it’s just that we choose not to say it out loud like Ismail Sabri.
The good news is, not all Malays agree with him whilst not all Chinese businessmen are like what he described. Is he seditious? I don’t think so, but yes, he is stupid.
Iiiizzzziiii: What an unbelievable joke! This has confirmed what Umno is all about – racist to the core.
Is this what Malay supremacy is about? The right to oppress others and the practice of prejudices against all those who do not conform to their point of view in whatever, wherever, however or whoever they perceive there and then to be?
Blaming a particular ethnic community for the country’s woes is a sign of naivete. Frankly, Ismail Sabri is not fit to be a minister because every Tom, Dick and Harry could have been one if the criteria is based on ethnic bashing.
More than 50 years of independence and Malaysia is falling apart. The blame rests squarely on BN, especially Umno, because of its divide-and-rule policy.
Very Sad: I didn’t know that there are so many racists among us. If the minister wants the traders (including Malay and Indian traders) to reduce prices he should address his message to all traders.
Everyone will applaud him for trying to put more disposable income into the rakyat’s pockets. But by only targeting Chinese traders, he has proven in no uncertain term that he is a racist.
I am surprised that we have a senior minister of such hare-brain calibre. What good does it do to the Malaysian economy if Malays boycott Chinese traders and Chinese in return boycott Malay traders? Every one of us, whether Malays, Chinese or Indians, will end up losers.
And if all traders lose money, the government will have no income tax to collect and without the income tax, how is the government going to pay for all the various programmes to advance the bumiputera interest.
At the end of the day, the bumiputera will be the biggest losers. This is Economics 101. Let’s see if police charges him for sedition/economic sabotage.
Progressive: Ismail Sabri, no amount of accolades and clapping will make a wrong right. Like Mahatma Gandhi said, “Even if I’m a minority of one, the truth is still the truth.”
The vast majority of Chinese traders, like their Malay brothers, are honest traders. Only a twisted mind and heart will speak otherwise.
Hmmmmmmmm: Does anybody notice that whenever there is a big issue affecting our beloved PM, somebody will come up with a diversion (usually the bashing of non-Malays)?
The big issue now is regarding the motive of the murder of the Mongolian woman. I’m quite sure Ismail Sabri is not so dumb to not realise that it is not possible to boycott all Chinese traders.
If all Chinese businesses were to take a holiday for a month, they will bring Malaysia to its knees.
Bury Lynas: Ismail Sabri a hero? Let’s make him a zero in next election.
Another Umno man walks the well-trodden path
The ‘wet monkeys’ syndrome in Umno
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