One week after Ismail Sabri Yaakob's controversial "boycott", Chinese traders are still fuming over the racial remark.

 

When asked, some even said they would rather have the Islamic penal system hudud rather than have to deal with people like the Umno agriculture and agro-based industries minister.

 

In interviews Malaysiakini conducted, several traders' bluntly called Ismail the "brainless minister" when asked to comment on his Facebook statement calling for the Malays to boycott Chinese businessmen for allegedly refusing to lower prices.

 

"Disappointed" and "upset" are among the terms Persatuan Pemborong Barangan Logam (Metal Traders Association) Malaysia president Low Cheng Ho used to describe the general sentiment of Chinese traders.

                                                     

Unless there is a change in government, Low said, similar statements would still come out from time to time.

 

"The government must be changed... Otherwise, you and I will have the same conversation after 30 years," he said in a firm tone.

 

If a general election were held now, Low believes, "10 out of 10 people will all revolt" against the ruling government.

 

He also said having to deal with the Umno minister is worse than having hudud, which is the Islamic penal code that PAS wants implemented.

 

"I would rather have hudud than Ismail Sabri," Low said. 

 

This is because PAS, unlike Umno that has repeatedly made racial attacks, is friendly to the Chinese community, he explained. 

 

"Other than hudud, which is not good, other (PAS policies) are fair to the Chinese," Low added.

 

‘Can’t even make simple apology’

 

Ismail courted controversy with his Facebook posting blaming Chinese traders for the high prices of goods, despite the falling oil prices.

The Prime Minister's Office made matters worse when it issued a clarification that the minister's remarks had been directed at all businesses, not the Chinese alone.

Ismail has remained adamant, repeatedly making statements defending his posting, calling his critics "petty" and insisting that the focus should be on the price situation and not his racial remark.

Federation of Sundry Goods Merchants Association of Malaysia president Hong Chee Meng pointed out that what the Chinese traders want is merely an apology.

 

"We only asked for an apology from Ismail, and yet he cannot make it," Hong lamented.

 

He also said Prime Minister Najib Razak, as the head of the government, should step up and condemn Ismail. 

 

In terms of the issue of the prices of goods that was the core of Ismail’s accusations, Hong opined that the government should reduce its prices before asking the traders to follow suit.

 

"(One of) the root causes is Tenaga National Bhd (TNB). If it doesn't cut down its (electricity) rates, how are we able to do (reduce our prices)?

 

"Who is going to compensate us when there is a loss?" Hong asked. 

 

'Gov't must reduce price first'

 

Hoping that Najib would remove Ismail from the cabinet, Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Association of Malaysia president Teh Kee Sin lamented that the government was placing its focus on this "unconstructive" issue of who is responsible for high prices.

 

"The government should not argue over these unconstructive matters. We hope the government can focus on the difficulties SMEs are facing," Teh said.

 

These difficulties include intermediary companies to government services such as MyEG and Bestinet, and government policies that created much trouble for SMEs, he said.

 

Teh also echoed the view that the government is the one that should reduce prices before the traders can afford to, pointing out that government-linked companies (GLC) are the root cause of high prices.

The government has received criticism for not lowering the prices in the face of slumping world oil prices, citing TNB in particular as it had earlier raised tariffs citing high oil prices.

It has also received flak for its monthly revision in pump prices that caused the retail price to remain higher than the prevailing market price of the day, allowing the government to reap hundreds of millions of ringgit in the differentials.