Perak MCA leader Dr Yap Yit Thong has asked a party assemblyman in the state to stop acting like an Opposition leader and stop making unwarranted accusations against the government over the current cooking sauce scare.

Yap said that Buntung assemblyman Yik Phooi Hong had 'insinuated and misled' the public that the Health ministry had not done enough to protect the public from such sauces which have been identified as unsafe for consumption as they contain high levels of a cancer-causing ingredient.

Yesterday, Yik was reported to have said in the northern edition of Sin Chew Jit Poh that anyone affected by the high level of the ingredient should sue the Health ministry, headed by MCA vice-president Chua Jui Meng.

"The Health ministry's failure to carry out its duties has endangered the lives of consumers, and they have every right to sue the ministry," Yik, who is also the Perak state assembly deputy speaker, was reported to have said.

Stringent standard

Yap, who is Perak MCA deputy secretary, said that Yik should have checked his facts first before making the statement.

"Stop acting like an Opposition member. The relevant authority should review your status as state assembly deputy speaker," said Yap.

He added that the Health ministry had been active in promoting and safeguarding the health of the public.

He said that the ministry had adopted a stringent standard as imposed by the European Union in allowing certain chemicals that could be used in the sauces.

"Even the world authority in monitoring food safety has not yet established a standard," said Yap.

Proper technique

He said that for more than a year now, the Ministry had been advising local sauce manufacturers to adopt a self-regulatory policy in the absence of a proper and monitored testing methods.

He added that only recently was University Sains Malaysia able to come out with a proper testing technique.

"Over the last few months, the ministry has taken upon itself the job of testing the sauces imported from different countries for the cancer-causing ingredient," he said.

As a result, Yap said, the ministry was able to identify 22 sauce products from Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Thailand which contain a high level of cancer-causing ingredients and had these brands removed from the market.

Last Sunday, Health minister Chua, in announcing the ban on 22 brands of cooking sauce, also said that all importers of foodstuffs containing the dangerous ingredient must, from Aug 1, have a certification of health for their products.