IPOH: He did not pull a rabbit out of the hat, but an assemblyman nevertheless caused gasps of astonishment at the Perak state assembly when he held up a slaughtered chicken during a debate on poultry prices.

       Muhammad Arafat Varisai Muhamad (PKR-Hulu Kinta) stunned those present in the House yesterday when he suddenly took the chicken out of a plastic bag placed next to him.

       Holding the chicken by its head, Muhammad Arafat started talking about the price increase of chickens and how consumers were suffering.

       And he made it clear that the bird cost him at least RM10 per kg, saying that he had the receipt as proof.

       As he spoke, other assemblymen interrupted with remarks such as “put down the chicken” and “go back and make rendang”.

       Some of the Yang Berhormat were heard laughing as well.

       At one point, Sungai Rapat assemblyman Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin of Parti Amanah Negara, who was seated nearby, got up and went over to “inspect” the chicken.

       He appeared to have asked the PKR assemblyman about the chicken, prompting Muhammad Arafat to remark: “Do you want a chicken? Ayam hidup. It’s not plastic.”

       Mohammad Nizar merely returned to his seat after that.

       According to Muhammad Arafat, he brought the slaughtered bird into the state assembly as he wanted to highlight the issue of chicken prices.

       He claimed that he had not seen any effort from the state administration to deal with the situation, saying that the state executive council had not held meetings with retailers and entrepreneurs to get to know the real problem.

       The authorities, he said, must do something about it.

       “Since the start of the state assembly last Friday, the state executive council member’s explanation is not convincing,” Muhammad Arafat said, referring to plantations, agriculture and food industry committee chairman Razman Zakaria.

       “There are no concrete plans or drastic action to resolve the issue, so I brought a ‘special gift’ purchased from the exco’s constituency of Gunung Semanggol.

       “There is a receipt as well, which shows it costs more than RM10 per kg,” Muhammad Arafat said when debating the state budget for next year.

       It was reported on Monday that the Keluarga Malaysia Maximum Price Control Scheme is in effect nationwide until Dec 31 as part of the government’s efforts to stabilise the price of essential goods and ensure adequate supply.

       Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry enforcement director Azman Adam had said that 12 items listed in the scheme include three categories of chicken, three grades of chicken eggs and some vegetables.