Rice cartel: Abuse of power and lack of integrity, says Ikram
AISYAH BASARUDDIN
SHAH ALAM - The government is urged to conduct a detailed investigation to identify and punish the masterminds of the rice cartel that has led to insufficient supplies in the market.
Ikram Kuala Lumpur Association (Ikram) president Zainal Adnan Abd Halim said that such actions are characterised as an abuse of power and a violation of the law, burdening the people.
"If it is true that this has happened, it is considered a fraud against the people and involves serious integrity issues.
"It may be difficult to directly link it to corruption, although it is possible.
"However, this issue clearly involves the abuse of power and lack of integrity, and those responsible should be punished," he told Sinar.
Zainal Adnan was referring to the recent revelation by Umno Youth Chief Dr Muhammad Akmal Salleh, who exposed the modus operandi of the cartel using broken rice as local rice because it can be sold at uncontrolled prices.
However, Zainal Adnan added that this issue needs to be examined comprehensively, considering its root cause, which is the shortage of imported rice supplies causing its prices to skyrocket.
He also condemned the modus operandi of selling broken rice as local rice to profit immensely at the expense of the people's suffering, driven by greed and a lack of humanity.
