KUALA LUMPUR: Felda and its oil palm settlers fully support Malaysia's proposal to impose like-minded laws against European exports, if the EU Parliament passes the Delegated Act next month.
"We are 100 per cent supportive of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's suggestion to do the same if the EU Parliament passes the Delegated Act to phase out and ban palm biodiesel," said Malaysia Felda Youth Council or Majlis Belia Felda Malaysia (MBFM) president Mohammad Fadzli Hasan said at a press conference here today.
Dr Mahathir, in a letter to France President Emmanuel Macron in January 2019, said Malaysia would consider laws to restrict imports of French products if it persists to phase out and ban palm biodiesel.
He called on the French leader to reject the proposed ban on palm oil in biofuels, adding that the trade relationship between the two countries depended on mutual respect for each other’s commodities.
“Failing in that mutual respect, Malaysia would be forced to look at actions, including, but not limited to, suspension of EU-Malaysia free trade talks and the imposition of like-minded legislation against French exports,” Dr Mahathir had reportedly said in the letter.
Mohammad Fadzli attested this was not the first time the Felda community had protested against the EU’s plan to ban palm oil.
In January 2018, Felda settlers and their children explained the facts and figures of oil palm cultivation and spoke up via protest memorandum to the EU Embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
We Are Children of Felda or Kami Anak FELDA (KAF) president Fakhrul Razi Abdul Wahab concurred with MBFM.
He likened the EU's smear campaign on palm oil to neo-colonisation, using manipulated half-truths to deny palm oil exporters a level playing field and equal opportunities to trade.
The KAF representative slammed the EU for wrongfully classifying palm oil as a high indirect land-use change (ILUC) risk and unjustifiably excluding palm oil from the EU's Renewable Energy Directive II mandate.
"The EU's oppressive propaganda on the Internet towards our golden crop has been devaluing palm oil. We are suffering from persistently low palm oil price," he added.
MBFM’s Mohammad Fadzli said the EU's singling out of palm oil and plan to boycott Malaysia's prime exports had been going on for the longest time. This was despite oil palm planters constant improvement in their agricultural practices.
As of todate, 42 per cent or 228,000 hectares of Felda's land have been certified under Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO).
"If the EU goes ahead with the Delegated Act and Renewable Energy Directive II to ban palm oil, Malaysia's Parliament can also pass like-minded laws on EU's exports," added the youth leader.
Also present at the press conference were Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) director-general Datuk Dr Othman Omar, Felda deputy director general (community development) Anuar Malek, Felda head of settlers Sulong Jamil Mohd Shariff and Felda director of plantation Izham Mustaffa.
Othman said Felda settlers had been very diplomatic when dealing with the EU's smear campaigns but the latest move had driven many oil palm planters into despair.
"As our prime minister had said before, Malaysia may be left with no choice but to fight for our younger generation’s future. We may be forced to use political channels and economic sanctions against the EU," Othman added.