Listen up: Fahmi speaking during the weekly post-Cabinet press conference at the Communications Ministry in Putrajaya. — Bernama
Issue to be addressed in Parliament on Thursday, says Fahmi
PUTRAJAYA: The padi issue will be addressed at the Dewan Rakyat next Thursday, says Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
He said Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu would make a ministerial statement followed by a debate session.
“The minister will deliver a statement regarding the padi issue, specifically related to the padi floor price, on Feb 13,” he said at the weekly post-Cabinet press conference.
On Jan 27, padi farmers from Kedah, Perlis, Penang, Pahang and Selangor gathered at the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry headquarters asking for the floor price of padi to be raised and the Quality Crop Seed Bill to be reconsidered.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said a new floor price for padi would be announced next week and the minister concerned would present a Cabinet paper on the price adjustment.
On another matter, Fahmi said the Cabinet did not discuss the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to close down its elite anti-corruption unit famous for prosecuting the 1MDB scandal.
He said there were also no discussions on claims that 435 Malaysians were among the 1.44 million individuals who received a final directive for deportation from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
Earlier, the Foreign Ministry had acknowledged the report concerning Malaysian nationals allegedly facing deportation under strict immigration policies, adding that no official requests for consular assistance had been received from the affected Malaysians.
Fahmi said the Cabinet also discussed the outcomes of the official visits by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
He said the visits not only strengthened diplomatic ties between Malaysia and the two countries but also opened new opportunities in trade, investment and strategic cooperation.
“As a result of these two official visits, not only were several memoranda of understanding signed to enhance relations between these nations and Malaysia, but they also opened up business and investment opportunities between both countries,” he said.
Fahmi said President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan would be visiting Malaysia next week.
On social media licensing, Fahmi said further details would be announced next week.
“I believe we will have more updates after the Thaipusam festivities,” he said.
On Jan 17, Fahmi said social media giant Meta is in the final stages of securing an Application Service Provider (ASP) Class Licence in Malaysia.
So far, Internet messaging and social media service providers such as ByteDance (TikTok), Tencent (WeChat) and Telegram have been granted an ASP Class Licence, allowing them to operate in the country.
