Penang – War of Woks

A war of words has broken out between Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz and MCA Secretary General Leong Sim Koon. This is because Nazri has come out in support of Penang CM Lim Guan Eng’s proposal to restrict cooks in hawker stalls to Malaysian nationals. “We should be looking at enforcing the workforce with locals and not foreigners. We need to protect our employment market, culture and heritage,” Nazri was quoted as saying. Leong countered with his own interpretation of the problem: “If foreign and local cooks can whip up a meal with the same tastes and standards, then the problem lies in training of the foreigners and whether the local employers are willing to pass down the original recipe.” We sought clarification from YAB Lim Guan Eng CM of Penang on what was the thinking behind the move. Interview conducted by Arlene Teo.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.