“If in a week you buy seven chickens, try to reduce it to two. If possible, don’t buy at all until the price of chicken drops,” Small and Medium Entrepreneurs Alliance (Ikhlas) president Ridzuan Abdullah told a press conference today.

“Let’s show who is stronger, the cartels or us?”

Ridzuan said the cartels, which he claimed were made up of vendors, NGOs and associations which controlled the import and supply of chicken, were behind the rising prices.

He said it was not just Malaysians who were part of these cartels, as there were also foreigners, including vendors, involved.

He warned that the issue of rising chicken prices could possibly jeopardise national security, as chicken meat was part of the staple diet for most Malaysians.

Ridzuan said Ikhlas would be lodging a police report against these cartels some time next week.

“We hope authorities will be able to take stern action,” he said.

On the current ceiling price of RM9.40 for a kg of chicken, he said it should be reduced to around RM8 before Ikhlas was willing to call for an end to the boycott.