• ONE FOR THE ALBUM: Tiong (Seated seven from left) with the committee members of the Bintulu Hakka Association. On his right is Senator Pau Chiong Ung and on his left is the association's president Pui Kiong Onn.

Speaking at the dinner of the Bintulu Hakka Association here on Saturday night, he said rice was a food item subsidised by the government to help lighten the burden of families and to curb inflation.

He hoped the people, especially the traders, would not abuse such an effort of the government in helping the people and smuggle the subsidised item out for their own benefits.

"Do not let the people suffer just for the selfish aim of a few."

He hoped this would be a situation that the authorities would monitor closely.

He said in the wake of the global food crisis, prices of rice had been hiking, adding that the locals had already felt the pinch.

"There has been complaints that prices of a 10-kg bag rice has hiked by as much as RM5.

"I hope the Ministry of the Domestic Trade and Consumers' Affairs will keep a close watch on this to prevent the situation getting out of hand."

He said the ministry must also ensure that there was no rice hoarding just because of the anticipation of a rice price hike in June.

Tiong, who is also the Chairman of the Parliament Back Bencher Club and a Justice of the Peace,  also called on the people not to abuse the fuel subsidy.

He said the fuel price for the consumers was RM1.57 per litre against that of RM3.3 per litre of the industrial fuel price.

"Therefore, there are attempts to get the consumers' fuel for sale to the industry."

He hoped both the police and the Ministry of the Domestic Trade and Consumers' Affairs would continue to keep an eye to prevent the abuse of the situation.

He was happy that the police were already acting on this and had arrested a man for investigation.

He hoped the people would also work with the authorities to prevent such abuses.

On the social role of the Chinese community, the Bintulu MP called on the people to preserve the unity among them.

He feared of the tendency of division among the the dialectal clans.

"The Chinese community is only a portion of the population in Malaysia. There must not be such a division. 

Instead, we must unite so that we can move out to unite with the rest of the ethnic groups in the country."

Tiong said there had already been allegations of such division.

He said verbal attacks among the clans would only hurt the sentiments of the people.

"Besides, this will also show a bad example to the unity in the Malaysian plural society."

In the gathering on Saturday night, the Hakka clan also held their respective installations for their main committee and their women and youth sections.

There was also a speech contest.

The celebration also marked the clan's senior citizen day joy.