Ismail Sabri: I won't apologise

Centre of attention: Ismail Sabri being swarmed by pressmen.

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will not apologise for his Facebook post calling on the Malays to boycott Chinese traders who refuse to lower prices despite the fall in fuel prices.

The Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries Minister said he would also not apologise to Ngeh Koo Ham over an alleged remark that the Perak DAP adviser owned shares in the Old Town White Coffee cafe franchise and a purported reference to its halal status.

“There is no reason to apologise (to Ngeh). If he understood (the statement) as he and I are lawyers, he should understand when I mentioned that Old Town is dikatakan (said to be) owned by him.

“This word doesn’t mean that I am pointing my finger at him that he owns it. I think he should understand the term first,” he said when met at the Putrajaya Lake Club yesterday.

He was at the club after being invited by about 90 Umno division chiefs who gathered there to show their support for him following his Facebook post.

Ismail Sabri stressed that his statement was aimed at unscrupulous traders who still refused to lower their prices despite fuel prices having fallen over the past few months.

“Interestingly, I heard that some people (traders) are already lowering prices due to the pressure,” he said.

“I was merely replying on Facebook and it went viral,” he said.

A spokesman for the division chiefs, Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir, said Ismail Sabri’s call was “noble and must be supported by all Malaysians”.

“We hope everyone will start talking about this issue now and we will see a difference soon,” said Musa who is also Penang Umno secretary.

Later, speaking during a programme on RTM last night, Ismail Sabri said consumers should look at the bigger picture of the issue.

In asking Malaysians to focus on the effects of boycotting traders who stubbornly refused to raise their prices, he said: “When I urged them to boycott stubborn traders who refuse to reduce prices, they should consider the effects of boycotting them.”

He also questioned whether traders have a hidden agenda and are deliberately maintaining their prices to cause anger at the Government.

'Remarks intended to advise traders'

MCA sec-gen takes Ismail Sabri to task over boycott statement

Cops to record Ismail Sabri’s statement tomorrow

Dr Mahathir: Issue has nothing to do with ethnicity

PAS: FB post detrimental to multi-racial community