KUCHING: Prime Minister Najib Razak expressed his displeasure with the conduct of enforcement officers during the recent operation against traders selling the paintbrushes, saying they should have not been too hasty, The Star reported.

“I understand the issue with the paintbrushes with pig bristles but we cannot simply confiscate and compound the traders.

“We are living in a multiracial society, we have to respect other races in this country,” he said during a Chinese New Year gathering at SJK Chung Hua yesterday.

Earlier this week, the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry confiscated paintbrushes suspected to be made from pig bristles and slapped traders with compounds.

Najib disagreed with the the conduct of enforcement officers and said the ministry should have advised traders to label the paintbrushes accordingly.

Najib said the government would continue its policy of upholding mutual respect among the nation’s multiracial society and it will reject any form of extremism.

“As prime minister, I am committed to continue the good work of our forefathers who believed that moderation is the key to living in peace and harmony,” he added.

On Thursday, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Hamzah Zainudin instructed enforcement officers to stop seizing paintbrushes made of pig bristles.

This came after the ministry seized 2,003 paintbrushes made from pig bristles worth RM10,988.94 in a nationwide crackdown.

Traders were also given a month to label the brushes correctly, specifying if they were made of pig or dog products.