ALOR STAR: The Consumer Association of Kedah (Cake) has described the dumping of rice and other essential items in Temerloh, Pahang as an act of betrayal to the people, in particular the needy.
Its president Yusrizal Yusoff lamented the action as "really serious wastage" and called for the relevant authorities to carry out thorough probes into the incident.
"This is an act of betrayal to the people, in particular the hardcore poor and underprivileged who are struggling to obtain their supply of essential items," he said in a statement today.
He stressed that it was unbecoming for any party to make a bulk purchase of the essential items for various causes but then disposing them.
"We do not object if anyone wishes to distribute aid to the needy group but based on media reports, the items were dumped because they were expired. This is an act of betrayal to the targeted recipients," he said.
Yesterday, it was reported that images and videos of disposed and burning sacks of rice and cans of sardines, as well as large amounts of unopened packages of tea at a garbage disposal site in Temerloh, have been making rounds on social media.
Following media reports, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu instructed the Temerloh Padi and Rice Supervision Office (KPB) to conduct an investigation.
Today, former Deputy Home Minister Ismail Mohamed Said admitted to having disposed of the rice and other food items at the illegal dump site.
Ismail, in a statement said the items were from a stockpile he had prepared for his constituents when he was the Kuala Krau MP, but that they were no longer fit for public consumption.
He was reported as saying that the food items were procured using personal funds before the 15th General Election in 2022, but they were not distributed as it was against election regulations.
