‘MUHYIDDIN CANNOT REMAIN SILENT’
He was agriculture minister at the time NFC was formed, says Puad
PARTI Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin cannot remain silent on the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) issue as he was the then agriculture and agro-based industries minister and should know about the matter.
Special Affairs Department director-general Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi said it seemed as though Muhyiddin preferred the opposition’s lies, and evaded clarifying the issue to avoid embarrassing the opposition, of which he was now a part.
“The PPBM information chief (Datuk Kamaruddin Mohd Nor) did not give a logical reason as to why Muhyiddin need not explain the issue.
“If the opposition parties are recycling old stories, why is there favouritism when it comes to enlightening an issue when he was the agriculture and agrobased industry minister.”
Puad challenged DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang to urge Muhyiddin to clarify the issue, as Lim did in the past when he called Muhyiddin to face the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee.
In Petaling Jaya yesterday, Kamaruddin said Muhyiddin no longer needed to reply to any complication arising from the NFC as he no longer served the government.
“No, (Muhyiddin) does not need to give an explanation. He had completed his duties (then). Now it is another person’s responsibility to explain the status of NFC.
“The decision made by Muhyiddin prior to this was done in his capacity in the government and it is not based on an individual decision. Thus, he does not have to answer all this.”
Earlier this week, Jaringan Melayu Malaysia president Datuk Azwanddin Hamzah’s statement that since the opposition was hell bent on reviving attacks on the scandal, they should direct their criticisms to Muhyiddin, who had detailed information on the issue.
Lim, in a blog post dated Nov 21 2011, had claimed that who else apart from Muhyiddin should bear responsibility for NFC.
He had questioned how the project’s objective, which was on cattle production to boost the nation’s beef self-sufficiency, could end wrongly.
Lim had alleged that NFC not only failed to meet its target, but the RM250 million two per centinterest soft loan disbursed to it had been used to buy two luxury condominium units in Bangsar and for other dubious transactions, as exposed by PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and PKR chief of strategy and Pandan member of parliament Rafizi Ramli.
Lim also said Muhyiddin should explain the government’s scrutiny, supervision and monitoring of the project.
NFC is a private company owned by AgroScience Industries Sdn Bhd, with participation from the government.
Lim’s post followed Rafizi’s allegations of criminal breaches of trust (CBT) committed in NFC through purchases of luxury condominium units.
In November 2015, after a series of probes and exhaustive court proceedings, NFC executive chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail was acquitted of four CBT charges involving RM49.7 million. About a year later, Rafizi was ordered by the Kuala Lumpur High Court to pay Salleh and NFC RM200,000 in damages over a defamatory statement in relation to a loan to buy KL Eco City property.
Last Wednesday, Rafizi was sentenced to 30 months’ jail by the Sessions Court for illegally exposing bank account details related to Salleh and NFC.