Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar said the opposition coalition could lodge a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) on the issue of monopoly in the export of bird nest to China.  

He promised he would not protect any officer who committed the offence and whoever made such false allegations would also be charged.   

bird nest farmer protest against nur omar 150912 04 Noh said after receiving a memorandum from the chairman of the Federation of Malaysia Bird Nest Traders Association, Lim Lai Soon accompanied by DAP Sekinchan state assemblyman Ng Suee Lim, Tanjong Karang PKR chief Mohd Yahya Mat Sahri and Rembau PKR chief Badrul Hisham Shaharin in Tanjong Karang.   

The memorandum alleged that there was a monopoly in the export of bird nest to China and the condition of using radio frequency identification (RFID) was a trick by certain ministry officers in cohort with a group of bird nest traders.

Noh also chided the attempt of the three opposition leaders to politicise the issue when the government struggled in its negotiation with Beijing to obtain its export approval.  

Letter sent to China’s minister

Noh said Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai, Prime Minister Najib Razak and he had gone to China to secure Beijing's agreement for the entry of Malaysian bird's nest into the Chinese market.

He had also written a letter to the minister concerned in China on the outcome of his six-hour meeting with 22 bird's nest industry representatives in Putrajaya on Aug 30.  

Among Malaysia's request was that the Chinese government did not limit the use of RFID to only bird's nest from this country and should in fact use other methods such as the bar code and allowed export of raw unclean bird's nests.  

However, Noh said anybody could obtain an export licence so long as the bird's nest received the verification of the Health Department and the Veterinary Services Department.

- Bernama