ACT AGAINST ISMAIL OVER RICE DUMPING INCIDENT, C4 TELLS GOVT

PETALING JAYA: An anti-graft watchdog has called on the government to take action against former Kuala Krai MP Ismail Said for disposing of staple food items at a dumpsite in Temerloh, Pahang.

In a statement, the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) said Cabinet members should have taken prompt and serious action after the incident came to light.

C4 also asked why the food was stored for so long and not distributed to constituents, especially during the national rice shortage.

“Was this influenced by his loss in the contest? His actions, especially amid a national rice shortage, raise serious concerns as to whether this practice occurs in other constituencies in Malaysia,” it said in a statement.

Ismail was the Kuala Krau MP until the 15th general election, where he lost the seat by a slim majority of 1,024 votes to Kamal Ashaari of PAS.

With early investigation findings indicating that the dumpsite was not gazetted, C4 said Ismail’s act of discarding food items was “negligent and unacceptable”.

It said he might face legal consequences under environmental laws such as the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 and the Environmental Quality Act 1974.

C4 added that Ismail and his team should have collaborated with waste management agencies to dispose of the rice properly.

“As a former lawmaker, Ismail should have known the impact of his actions. He and his team should have worked together with waste management agencies such as SWCorp, along with the padi and rice supervision section under the agriculture and food security ministry to dispose of the rice,” it said.

Last week, Ismail admitted to disposing of rice and other food items after pictures of sacks of rice, sardine cans and flour dumped at the waste disposal site made the rounds on social media.

He said the items originated from a stockpile he had assembled for his constituents when he was the Kuala Krau MP. However, he said they were no longer safe for consumption.

The former deputy Dewan Rakyat speaker said he would take full responsibility, and apologised to all parties for the oversight in monitoring the disposal of the items.

2024-04-25T04:25:12Z dg43tfdfdgfd