Minister fumes over 'oil palm killing orangutan' school performance
Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok is far from amused over a performance at an international school in Kuala Lumpur which painted oil palm in a negative light.
Urging the headmaster and teachers to stop emulating European countries, she accused them of doing a disservice to the nation...
Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok is far from amused over a performance at an international school in Kuala Lumpur which painted oil palm in a negative light.
Urging the headmaster and teachers to stop emulating European countries, she accused them of doing a disservice to the nation.
"They should come to the ministry and Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) to know about the efforts done by the industry players," she told reporters in Parliament today.
She also revealed that MPOC, which is on a mission to promote awareness on palm oil, was turned down by several international schools.
These educators should not spread "untrue and one-sided" messages to the children, she said, likening such action to "sabotage" of the ministry's efforts to promote palm oil.
Kok was commenting on a video clip on the performance circulating on social media.
In the performance, the schoolchildren had claimed that the planting of oil palm trees led to deforestation and killed up to 3,000 orangutans annually.
"If we don't do something about this and ensure oil palm is sustainably grown, within 10 years, these beautiful creatures could be gone from our world," said one student.
Malaysiakini has attempted to contact the school.
At the same event, Kok witnessed a signing ceremony between MPOC and the Sabah Forestry Department for the planting of one million trees in Sabah over 10 years.
To kick-off the programme, both parties will identify 2,500 hectares of deforested land in Lower Kawag at the Ulu Sagama Malua Forest Reserve for the planting.
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