theSun | FRIDAY JUNE 19 2009
news without borders
Hear us out,
say pork sellers
Press Digest
by Kong See Hoh
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PORK news hogged the head-
lines again in the Chinese press
following Domestic Trade,
Cooperative and Consumerism
Minister Datuk Seri Ismail
Sabri Yaakob’s warning on
Tuesday that the government
would consider making pork a
controlled item if the ex-farm
price of pig continued to in-
crease.
Ismail’s remark, following a
row between pig farmers and
pork sellers, prompted pork
sellers to urge the ministry to
hear them out before making a
decision.
National Pork Sellers Associa-
tion president Goh Chui Lai said
the ministry cannot list pork as a
controlled item simply because
the ex-farm price of pigs is go-
ing up. This will not effectively
stablise pork prices, he said.
Malacca pork trader Lim
Woo Pau, a former pig farmer,
opined that the government
should control the prices of pigs
and animal feed before making
pork a price-controlled item. He
said capping the price of pork is
not a long-term solution.
But Federation of Livestock
Farmers Association of Malay-
sia (FLFAM) pig unit chief Beh
India, Malaysia to set up task
force on higher education
KUALA LUMPUR: India and Ma-
laysia have decided to set up a
task force to address all issues on
higher education between the two
countries, India’s Human Resource
Development Minister Kapil Sibal
said yesterday.
He said the task force would
present a report within three
months to the ministers in charge
of higher education of India and
Malaysia for them to decide on the
next course of action.
The issues to be taken up by
the task force include those re-
lated to the recognition of medical
degrees.
“The idea behind this (task
force) ... we would like a free flow
of students from one system to
another ... from one educational in-
stitution to another between India
and Malaysia,” Sibal told reporters
after opening a seminar on “Open
More women pursuing
entrepreneurship for career
KUALA LUMPUR: More women
in Malaysia are choosing entre-
preneurship for a career despite
the various challenges they face
such as lack of financial support
and competitiveness in the mar-
ket, Deputy Women, Family and
Community Development Minister
Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said
yesterday.
She said the government was
concerned about these challenges
and the relevant ministries had
been tasked to identify the factors
which impeded one from progress-
ing in business.
Chew said 99% of the small and
11
Kim Hee welcomes any move
to control pork prices, saying
that consumers will no longer
be confused over the prices once
they become transparent.
He said pig farmers, but not
pork sellers, have been trans-
parent about their prices.
Hua Zong (Federation of
Chinese Associations of Malay-
sia) said it is ready to mediate
between pig farmers and pork
sellers for a win-win solution
to the problems of pig and pork
prices.
Meanwhile, the ministry’s
secretary-general, Datuk Mohd
Zain Mohd Dom, said the min-
istry has no plans to made pork
a controlled item.
He said the ministry will also
not force pig farmers or pork
traders to lower their prices.
Asked to comment on the
minister’s remark, he said the
ministry has not discussed the
likelihood of putting a cap on
pork prices.
“We will find ways to help
pig farmers and pork sellers
overcome their problems and
hope that they will cooperate
(with us).
“We will not force them to
lower their prices; that is impos-
sible,” he said.
The latest spat between pig
farmers and pork sellers arose
when pork sellers threatened
to pass on the steep hikes in pig
prices to consumers.
and Distance Learning: Bridging
the Knowledge Divide” at the Asia
e-University (AeU), here.
Sibal said any impediment on
the development of higher educa-
tion between India and Malaysia
would be addressed by the task
force by exploring possible solu-
tions.
“A range of issues ... how to
settle it ... to resolve it. This is
something for the task force to
recommend to us,” said Sibal,
whose portfolio covers primary,
secondary and tertiary education
and vocational training as well as
human capital development.
Meanwhile, in a separate
function at the same venue, Sibal
performed the soft launch of the
first “India Education Fair 2009”
to be held at the Mid Valley Mega
Mall here on June 20 and 21.
– Bernama
medium enterprise (SME) compa-
nies in the country were involved
in the services, manufacturing and
agricultural sectors and women
owned 16% of the companies.
“Malaysian women entre-
preneurs are also increasingly
recognised as key players in the
economy, in particular SMEs.
“They have also earned rec-
ognition in many fields as they
now headed several multi-na-
tional companies which used to
be dominated by men,” she said
at the First Asia Women Business
Power Conference at Technology
Park Malaysia, here. – Bernama