Pictures and clips of rice and sardine cans burning at a dump in Temerloh, Pahang, are spreading fast online.
The content first popped up on Facebook and TikTok yesterday (Apr 18), with the videos showing piles of 10kg rice bags and sardine cans being set on fire, with some of the cans burnt to a crisp.
Today, former Deputy Home Minister and ex-Kulau Krau MP Ismail Mohamed Said acknowledged being the one who discarded the rice and other food supplies after images of the disposal went viral.
He took full responsibility for the disposal, stating, “These were stockpiles always prepared to meet public demand during my service as MP for Kuala Krau.”
He made it clear that these food items were purchased with his own funds prior to the general election, and that “no distribution of goods to the public was allowed” during the campaigning period.
The disposed items were not procured with government allocations, neither federal nor state, nor were they connected to COVID-19 or flood preparations, he emphasized.
After receiving a complaint about a foul odor from a neighbor on April 5, Ismail investigated and found that the storage area contained rat carcasses and the rice and other items were tainted with rice weevils.
Due to contamination, these items were “no longer suitable for distribution to the public.”
He stated that some of the rice had been given to local poultry and duck farmers, with the remainder being disposed of.
I take full responsibility and deeply regret this matter, and I apologize to all parties for the oversight in monitoring the disposal of these food items.”
Read his statement here:
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