Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has finally issued an apology of sorts for his call for Malay Malaysians to boycott Chinese businesses, which went viral almost two weeks ago.
“It was never my intention to cause tension and racial polarisation. My remarks were only directed at traders who continued to refuse to bring down the prices of goods regardless of their race.
“My comments went viral and were misinterpreted. I regret that my remarks have caused uneasiness,” he said in a statement today.
In a personal Facebook post on February 1, Ismail called on Malay Malaysians to boycott Chinese traders who refused to lower the price of their goods, in order to ensure retail prices remain reasonable. That Facebook post has since been made private or has been deleted.
Since then, he has been the focus of intense scrutiny and condemnation from netizens and politicians alike, some from his own Barisan Nasional coalition.
His statement of regret today seems to have ameliorated the situation somewhat, with MCA president and Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai saying that he respected the decision of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet on the issue, and that he wished to see some closure over the matter.
“As my colleague, Datuk Seri Ismail has offically issued a statenent of regret and as a member of the Cabinet, I take note of his statement of regret and hope that this matter is put to rest and we shall move on,” Liow said, as quoted by The Star Online.
The issue of Ismail’s remarks led to it being discussed at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, where it was decided that all parties were to concentrate on instilling the spirit of national unity.
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