Gerakan Youth today condemned Sri Gading MP Datuk Mohamed Aziz for labeling sundry shop keepers who planned to boycott sale of sugar, cooking oil and flour as traitors of the country, saying the remarks were derogative and disgraceful.

Gerakan Youth deputy chief Oh Tong Keong said the name-calling would not solve problem but only worsen the current “standoff” between the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry and the sundry shop keepers over the sugar licence plan.

“It is unbecoming of a Member of Parliament to call the sundry shop keepers traitors of the country when they are loyal citizens who have been living inMalaysia and contributing their share of nation-building for umpteem years,” said Oh in a statement.

“Mohamed has forgotten that in a democratic society like Malaysia, there is a right to dissent and disagree and along as it is within the ambit of the law, we should have tolerance and mutual respect for each other,” said Oh, adding that the sugar licence plan problem could be resolved amicably by all the parties concerned.

On a separate note, Oh urged MCA central committee member Dato Chuah Poh Khiang to check his facts first before asking Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Deputy Minister Dato Tan Lian Hoe to resign from her post over the sugar boycott issue.

Oh said Tan, together with officers from the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry had in December 2009 held a dialogue with the Perak Sundry Shops’ Guild to discuss the problem of sugar supply, shortage and hoarding in ordr to find a good solution.

“Following the dialogue, the ministry also held a separate meeting with the sugar wholesalers to further discuss the problem. The ministry then worked out a proposal to reorganise the sugar distribution structure,” said Oh.

Oh said the project involved the appointment of one or two wholesalers or distributors for sugar in every parliamentary constituency. They would then distribute the sugar to the respective retailers.

Oh said that before the project could get off the ground, the boycott problem arose.

Chuah had said that Tan did not arrange any discussion between her ministry, retailers and stakeholders.