KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 9 — Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob confirmed today that he has given his statement to the police, who are probing his controversial call on Facebook for Malays consumers to boycott Chinese traders.

When asked to confirm that he had met the police to give his statement, the federal minister replied in the affirmative and said it was recorded this afternoon.

“Yupp,” the minister wrote in a brief text message to Malay Mail Online, also indicating that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) will release a statement on the recording of his statement.

Ismail Sabri, the agriculture and agro-based industries minister, is being investigated under Section 505 (b) of the Penal Code for among other things, issuing a statement that could cause “fear or alarm to the public”.

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The charge carries a maximum two-year jail term, or fine, or both, upon conviction. The charge stipulates an exception, however, and says that “it does not amount to an offence within the meaning of this section, when the person making, publishing or circulating any such statement, rumour or report has reasonable grounds for believing that such statement, rumour or report is true and makes, publishes or circulates it without any such intent as aforesaid.”

Last Monday, Ismail Sabri sparked a firestorm of protest over his Facebook post urging Malay consumers to boycott allegedly profiteering Chinese businesses.

The agriculture and agro-based industries minister added that the high price of goods, despite the dip in fuel costs, was a form of sabotage aimed at stirring public dissent against the government.

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Explaining his remarks later, Ismail Sabri said he was not directing his words at the Chinese community, but merely to unscrupulous Chinese businesses that have been indiscriminately raising their prices and keeping costs high.

The minister has since deleted the Facebook post, and Putrajaya issued a statement to “clarify” that the minister was referring to all unscrupulous traders and not only to those of Chinese descent.