.JPG "Teresa Kok speaks to reporters during a press conference at the Ministry of Primary Industries January 3, 2019. u00e2u20acu2022 Picture by Miera Zulyana")
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — Kinabatangan MP Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin has called on Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok to learn from Datuk Seri Najib Razak in promoting and selling Malaysia’s palm oil amid the current opposition towards the commodity in Europe.
The Sabah Umno chairman said that Najib too was forced to weather a tough storm in promoting palm oil when he was prime minister, owing to the European Union’s (EU) rejection of the commodity as is the case now.
However, Bung said Najib strategised and managed to convince European nations to buy palm oil from Malaysia, a diplomatic skill which he alleged Kok sorely lacked.
“That’s why you have to remember. Najib is very smart. He knows how to create something new.
“Now for example, palm oil. Until now, still a problem. Najib too faced the same problem, but he engaged with China, engaged with EU.
“This EU Parliament is not easy as they have groups. However, during Najib’s era, he sent many people to Europe,” Bung said.
He added that the then PM delivered speeches, took representatives from the rather apprehensive EU nations to dinners and held gatherings to convince them about Malaysia’s palm oil production.
“I told Teresa Kok, do something. She doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t know about palm oil. That’s why the first moment Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad put Teresa Kok there, I said we are in trouble,” Bung told Malay Mail in an interview this week.
Bung also expressed disappointment, alleging Kok of being unable to successfully court any European nation, India and China to buy Malaysia’s palm oil.
“Please do something better. Last time she always criticised, now do something. Almost one year already, you know,” the former Felcra Berhad chairman lamented.
The EU Parliament decided in 2017 to ban the use of palm oil in all European biofuels by 2020, citing environmental concerns.
Last December, France’s National Assembly voted to end tax incentives for palm oil biodiesel by 2020, followed by the Norwegian Parliament vote to limit and phase out palm oil through measures and taxes in biofuels policy beginning next year.
Kok said the move by Norway would gravely affect trade ties between Malaysia and the European Free Trade Association.
Norway is a member of that trade bloc and has the distinction of being the first country in the world to ban palm oil-based biofuels.
Kok has also called the move by Norway a “misguided trend”, adding that this was why the Council of Palm Oil Producing Countries, which includes major palm oil producers such as Indonesia and Malaysia, recently turned down an invitation to collaborate at the European Union’s workshop on Indirect Land Use Change in relation to palm oil production.
“This sort of action smacks of injustice and discrimination against products from developing countries like Malaysia,” she said in response to the Norwegian ban.
Earlier this month, she announced a year-long “Love MY Palm Oil” campaign, in response to anti-palm oil movements overseas.
The campaign aims to instill national pride and greater appreciation for Malaysian palm oil, focusing on socio-economic importance, health, nutrition, and food and non-food applications.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir is scheduled to officiate the campaign in the first quarter of 2019.
On January 17, a video clip featuring Dr Mahathir was released in support of the campaign.
In the three-minute video, the PM dispelled the misconception that palm oil consumption is detrimental to consumers and instead claimed the stigma surrounding palm oil is mere fear-mongering by other competing edible oil producers.
