A DAP MP has slammed several ministers for going abroad for their “work” trips abroad rather than staying put and managing the current food crisis in their own home country.
According to Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng there seem to be a lack of urgency on the Government’s part in managing this issue, and warned that the nation could be facing a greater problem in the form of food insecurity should this matter be allowed to continue.
“It is high time for the Government to act swiftly on the food crisis. Where are the ministers who are supposed to create necessary policies to deal with the issue at hand? The rising cost of living has impacted Malaysians greatly,” Lim said in a statement.
“In such times of crises, it seems that ministers are busy prioritizing their ‘work’ trips abroad rather than managing the current situation in their homeland. They are advised to stay back and deal with the situation at hand.”
Lim said that the Government should be proactive in notifying Malaysians of the measures that they would take to handle the matter.
Citing the chicken crisis as an example, Lim went on to note that several days ago Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi had announced that a Cabinet meeting would be held promptly to address the issue of daily food supply.
“However, to this day, there are no updates on whether any short-term or long-term measures have been adopted by the Cabinet,” he pointed out.
“What is the use of meetings and discussions if no concrete plan is presented to the people? Furthermore, this is not the first time that such template answer has been given by the government when dealing with a specific national issue.”
As the global food crisis looms, Lim suggested that a Cabinet minister be appointed as the sole spokesperson informing the nation on the next steps in dealing with the issue, with the same minister leading a high-level inter-ministry task force for food security in the country.
“Malaysia has managed to handle the COVID-19 pandemic with a special task force and so it is only appropriate for similar measures to be taken to deal with the food problem,” he said. – May 27, 2022
