سۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيم
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
KUALA LUMPUR: Early last March, the Centre for Policy Initiatives
(CPI) posted on its website a damning article about “cronyism,
corruption and rent-seeking at the highest level” in the pork import
business.
The article, based on an interview with a commodity trader, alleged
that the business had become a “semi-monopoly controlled by a
business-political mafia and which involves the highest level of
leadership” in the Agriculture Ministry.
The Malaysian Association of Pork Importers (MAOPI) subsequently
denied the allegations, but pork importers have told FMT in recent
interviews that they have indeed fallen victim to unfair trade
practices, forcing some of them to switch to importing other frozen
products in order to survive.
Before MAOPI was formed in the first quarter of 2011, the import of
pork into the country was carried out according to the rules of free
trade.
“There was no limitation and no preferential treatment given to any importer,” industry player Alan Thng told FMT.
Recently, a group of importers submitted a petition to the Department
of Veterinary Services (DVS) complaining of the government’s unfairness
in giving 50% of the import quota to companies owned by a couple of
MAOPI officials. They also mentioned other onerous rules that they had
to comply with on pain of being blacklisted.
CPI has also claimed that it is in possession of copies of official
letters from MAOPI that give “clear proof of monopolisation, power
politics, cartelisation” and other violations of free trade in the pork
import business.
According to sources, several MAOPI members and independent pork
importers have lodged reports with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission. These apparently followed a meeting of importers with the
then deputy agriculture minister, Chua Tee Yong, which failed to address
the controversy.
According to an importer who attended the meeting, Chua subsequently
washed his hands off the issue. “Importers repeatedly contacted him, but
were told that the Agriculture Minister would handle the case.”
Last September, Chua publicly denied that there was a single party in
control of pork imports. “There is no policy to allow any single entity
to take control of all pork imports into the country.”
According to an importer, that denial flew in the face of information
supplied to him by aggrieved importers who met up with him in early
2012.
Nevertheless, some importers have told FMT they are optimistic that
the new Agriculture Minister will embark on measures to resolve the
controversy. They hope he will call for a no-holds-barred investigation
into the allegations of corruption, cronyism and monopolistic practices.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/06/17/privileged-few-hogging-pork-imports/
