IPOH: A state assemblyman treated the Perak state legislative assembly to a veritable 'show and tell' today by bringing a dead, skinned chicken to the proceedings.
Crying 'fowl' over the rising price of goods, Hulu Kinta assemblyman Muhamad Arafat Varisai Mahamad decided to bring along the chicken, which he had bought from a seller in Gunung Semanggol, to underscore the sharp rise in the price of poultry.
Admonishing Razman Zakaria (Pas-Gunung Semanggol), who is the state Plantations, Agriculture and Food Industries Committee chairman, over the issue, he said he brought the 'gift' to underscore the severity of the issue.
"I want to give this chicken as a present as no action has been taken by the exco (Razman). I want to ask, has a dialogue been held with retailers, entrepreneurs, and wholesalers to see where the real problem of this price increase is?
"What is the role of the exco, has there been any action taken? I myself am working like an exco, for example, calling wholesalers, retailers, and the people to get information on where the mistakes and solutions are," he said during the debate on the Perak 2022 Budget at Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan here.
Muhamad Arafat urged Razman to be more understanding of the plight of the people.
His action drew comments from several other assemblymen who intervened, including Jamilah Zakarian (BN-Trong) and Hasnul Zulkarnain Abd Munaim (Bebas-Titi Serong) during the debate session.
Meanwhile, at a press conference later, Muhamad Arafat said the issue of the price of chicken was addressed to Razman as the increase in prices was due to issues at the farm level.
He said it is necessary to hold a dialogue session with entrepreneurs and find a solution by controlling prices at the farm level, whether via subsidies or other methods.