KUALA LUMPUR – The Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry said that a video involving its minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin was taken out of context.
In a statement, the ministry said that Zuraida made the speech during a closed-door event organised by the Malaysian Palm Oil Council recently.
“Unfortunately, the clip was edited in a way that does not do justice to the context of the minister's speech.
“In fact, some have tried to spin the minister's words, which were merely said in jest, to cast aspersions on her and the ministry,” the statement by the ministry read.
It said that the minister was merely sharing her experience during a recent trip to Saudi Arabia, where the Malaysian envoy there touched on matters he learnt regarding palm oil.
The issue of orangutans came up because relevant agencies are studying the living habits of the animal to pursue sustainable goals that promote biodiversity.
”The findings would then be presented to foreign stakeholders like the European Union, where strong anti-palm oil lobbyists operate and could harm the sector's long-term interests.
“However, certain parties have chosen to cherry-pick the speech to present a distorted view of Malaysia’s consistent stance of promoting a robust oil palm industry that can co-exist and flourish in a sustainable ecosystem,” the statement added.
The ministry urged the public to stop sharing “such distorted content” as it could lower the morale of the ministry's employees in their effort to promote Malaysian palm oil.
Earlier today, a video featuring Zuraida went viral after she mentioned that books in Arab schools say that Malaysia's palm oil industry kills orangutans.
Zuraida said that the primates are more likely to kill humans first.
She even mentioned that Perhilitan has policies that prevent the killing of such animals, including lions and tigers, the former of which has no natural population in the country. – The Vibes, January 20, 2022
