KUALA LUMPUR - There is no evidence to show that packets of cooking oil found floating in Indonesian waters originated from Malaysia as claimed in social media, said Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa.
Annuar said the public should rely on authentic statements issued by the relevant parties instead of speculating on the matter.
"We have tried to get confirmation from the media that published this news but not even a single party could provide further details on the photographs circulated in certain social media accounts. However, preliminary information we received showed that the oil was produced by Indonesia itself,” he told a press conference after chairing a meeting of the Task Force on Jihad against Inflation at Parliament building here today.
Annuar, who chairs the task force, said he had asked the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) to do follow-ups on the matter.
For the past few days, news on the discovery of thousands of packets of cooking oil in waters near Pulau Jawa, Indonesia, has been circulating on social media, raising questions among various parties.
Meanwhile, Annuar said the task force had discussed with the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), asking it to conduct a study on the pricing mechanism for cooking oil in the country.
He said the study involved determining whether the single price system for domestic use and export be maintained or the feasibility of providing a two-tier pricing for the product to differentiate prices for domestic use and export.
"The committee was told that only 5.6 per cent of oil supply produced by the country is for the domestic market and 60,000 tonnes of this is subsidised oil in packets," he added.
However, he said all decisions to be taken would consider the impact on consumers and related parties.
"MPOB will be given enough time to study the mechanism," he said. - BERNAMA