Wee (BN-Ayer Hitam) said he received a call from a person claiming to be a representative of J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd, said to be the sole importer of eggs from India.
The person allegedly told Wee that he had discussed the matter with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and that the MCA president should issue a statement and settle the matter “out of court”.
The caller had also told Wee that he had instructed his lawyer to obtain a writ of summons from the court.
“Datuk Speaker, I think we need to look at this case seriously. I don’t know why the PMO’s name (is being used) here.
“I don’t think that the prime minister instructed this. People are simply using the prime minister’s name (and this) has become a ‘disease’. This should not happen.
“I am not willing to be moved around like a chess piece by any company.
“To all the MPs, we are the spokesperson for the rakyat and we should not be intimidated in any way,” said Wee while debating the Supply Bill 2023.
The Ayer Hitam MP admitted that he was surprised by the phone call as he had not named the company or its owner when he debated on the issue in the Dewan Rakyat.
“I was merely being the spokesperson for the rakyat on the eggs supply issue. I have no ulterior motives or vested interests in this issue.”
Wee said he had also discussed the eggs supply issue with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at his home on the first day of the Chinese New Year celebration.
R Ramanan (PH-Sungai Buloh) then interjected and said that the phone call to Wee was “unethical and an intimidation”.
“If we let this go on, where the prime minister’s name or PMO is being used, we will be in a situation where people will start using the Speaker’s name in the future,” said the PKR MP.
Wee had been served with two letters of demand by J&E over remarks he made about the import of eggs.
The first letter to Wee on Feb 23 said the company faced losses and a tarnished reputation as a result of Wee’s “unwarranted statements”.
In a second letter, the company’s lawyer said that its business had been indirectly affected as Wee’s remarks had caused confusion among consumers about the quality of the eggs.
Wee had said in a Facebook post on Jan 9 that eggs from India would take between three and four weeks to reach Port Klang by sea.
He had frequently raised the issue of eggs supply in the country in the lower house. On Feb 22, Wee hogged the limelight in the Dewan Rakyat by whipping out three eggs to illustrate his arguments on the import of eggs.
He had produced an egg imported from India, a locally produced egg, and an omega egg to compare their sizes and prices.