PETALING JAYA: Ayer Hitam MP Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pix) has revealed that he had been threatened, following his statement concerning eggs being imported from India last month in the Dewan Rakyat.
Wee received a phone call from an individual who claimed to be from J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd, demanding to retract his statement over the issue, he said during his committee-level debate for the 2023 Supply Bill.
The former transport minister mentioned that the individual who issued the threat claimed that the company had discussed with the Prime Minister’s Department to settle this case outside of court, NST reported.
“I was told to correct my statement in Parliament. What is this? I did not mention any companies or names, so why am I receiving such threats?
“I am merely the people’s representative regarding the issue, but this action has belittled the parliamentary institution.
“I refuse to be a pawn and I will not bow down to pressure and retract my statements on the issue,“ he said.
Wee also said that he had a productive discussion with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on the persistent matter during the Chinese New Year open house held by MCA.
“I told the prime minister that I did not agree with importing eggs and we need to find a solution to this.
“Hence, this (out-of-court settlement) is not an instruction from the prime minister, but people are abusing his name and it has become a disease in this case. This should not happen and needs to be investigated,” he recalled.
Sungai Buloh MP Datuk R. Ramanan also spoke up regarding Wee’s issue and said that it was a form of intimidation towards an MP.
“Not only this is an unethical action, but it is also a form of intimidation. If we continue to let the public use the name of the prime minister or the department as an excuse, they will continue to abuse it in the long run,” Ramanan said.
Earlier last month, Wee raised his point pertaining to the egg supply issue by whipping out three eggs in the Dewan Rakyat, each one from India, an omega egg and a locally produced egg, to illustrate the differences in each egg’s sizes and costs.
He also called on the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry to prioritise addressing the poor supply of local eggs instead of importing eggs to fulfill domestic needs.
Wee then received a lawyer’s letter the next week from the eggs’ importers from India due to bringing up the issue.
J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd was the only local company to be granted the award to import eggs from India, according to Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
Mohamad Sabu stated that the government would continue importing eggs from India until the local supply is stabilised.
