25/10/2012 (The Star) - Pakatan Rakyat should stop making wild allegations that the Government’s treatment of sugar tycoon Robert Kuok was a factor which hampered Malaysia’s unsuccessful palm oil deals with China, said Deputy Commodities and Plantation Industries Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin.

He said China’s decision not to buy more Malaysian palm oil was due to global market factors brought about by a bumper soya crop in the United States, Argentina and Brazil.

Hamzah was referring to Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham (DAP-Beruas), who had alleged that Malaysia failed to secure palm oil deals with China because of its treatment of the tycoon in recent years.

Datuk Wira Ahmad Hamzah (BN-Jasin) also chided Ngeh for repeatedly raising the issue despite it being clarified in Parliament.

Earlier, a shouting match ensued between Pakatan and Barisan lawmakers over Ngeh’s allegations that police received bribes from major plantation firms to allow them to hire illegal foreign workers.

Hamzah demanded that Ngeh retract his allegations and told him to lodge a police report.

Ngeh refused and said he was merely repeating what he had heard from employment agents.