KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will consider stopping the import of some European products if the European Union (EU) goes ahead with its unfair measures taken against the palm oil industry.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (pix) said this was one of the measures currently being considered by the government in view of EU’s continued discrimination of the commodity.
“We think we will stop buying some European products. That is one of the things we can do,” he told a press conference at the parliament lobby, here, today.
He was asked to comment on what form of retaliation Malaysia intends to take against the EU if it proceeded to implement the Delegated Act to phase out and ban palm biodiesel.
Mahathir had on Tuesday said the government would take retaliatory action following calls made by oil palm smallholders who want the government to be more aggressive with regards to the ban on the commodity imposed by the EU.
The prime minister had also previously said the government has written to heads of government of the EU pertaining to the matter, including France, who had only last month voted to remove palm oil from the country’s biofuel scheme by 2020.
Malaysia is the second largest exporter of palm oil, considered to be one of the main sources of revenue for the country.
On a separate matter, Mahathir said he was hopeful Singapore would drop the death sentence meted out on a Malaysian, Michael Garing, 30, claiming sending him to gallows was “too excessive” (keterlaluan).
He said he hoped Singapore would commute Michael’s sentence to lighter one.
“We are saddened because supposedly the death sentence should be replaced by another sentence, just like what Malaysia will be doing, unless for certain cases.
“And yes, we (Malaysia) are trying to save his (Michael) life because we know the rakyat feels that capital punishment is too much,” he said.
Michael, who was part of a gang involved in robbery in Singapore that led to the death of 41-year-old Shanmuganathan Dillidurai in 2010, was sentenced to death in April 2015. He is scheduled to be sent to the gallows this Friday.
On Tuesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Liew Vui Keong said Malaysia would send a letter to Singapore President Halimah Yacob to request that the death sentenced be commuted.
