Eatery’s speedy reopening no abuse of power, says Tan Kai
KUCHING: Political secretary to chief minister Tan Kai has dismissed allegation of abuse of power concerning a fast food outlet near Mile 3 here.
The premises reopened on Thursday – a day after it was served with a twoweek closure notice by the Ministry of Health, due to its level of hygiene being not up to mark.
Speaking to The Borneo Post’s sister paper Utusan Borneo yesterday, Tan said he did not use any political influence in settling the matter, but he admitted that the outlet operator did give him a call on Wednesday.
In his explanation, Tan said he was asked to be present at the premises, in that the operator wanted to seek Tan’s advice with regard to the closure notice, which was issued under Section 11 of Food Act 1983.
“The operator only asked me to explain what to do next after they had cleaned up as ordered by the Health authorities.
“The operator also asked if they could request the authorities to reinspect the premises after they had done thorough clean-up.
“That’s all that was asked of me – I did my part to explain to the operator, that they could request the Health authorities to re-inspect the premises, to decide whether it ( level of cleanliness) met the required criteria,” he said in response to the allegations against him made by Dr Kelvin Yii, special assistant to state Democratic Action Party ( DAP) chairman Chong Chieng Jen.
Tan, who is also Sarawak United People’s Party ( SUPP) Youth chief, insisted that he did not in any way help the operator to have the fast food restaurant get back in business again, or had interfered in such a process.
Tan said it was upsetting to see Dr Yii turning the matter into a political issue.
“Is it wrong for me to offer my opinions and advice to the operator regarding Section 11 of the Food Act 1983?” he questioned.
During a press conference yesterday, Dr Yii demanded Tan and the Health authorities explain why the fast food restaurant was allowed to operate in just a day after the closure notice took effect.