Let Muhyiddin explain to PAC why the RM300 million NFC project he approved in 2006 has become such a mess and scandal
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is the current Cabinet Minister most responsible for the RM300 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project, as he approved it in 2006 as the then Agriculture Minister.
Muhyiddin should appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)on Wednesday when it examines the issue to explain why the cattle production project has become such a mess and scandal, beyond the worst fears of the Auditor-General’s Report 2010 as it is snowballing everyday to expose layer after layer of scandalous transactions.
The Auditor-General Report 2010 on the continuing horror stories about misappropriation and waste of public funds, criminal breach of trust, negligence and gross abuses of power is a damning indictment on the first full-year Najib premiership demonstrating that nothing has really changed despite grandiloquent sloganeering of “1Malaysia, People’s First, Performance Now” in terms of government efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, transparency and integrity.
However, it is an even greater indictment on the Deputy Prime Minister as it exposes his personal and direct Ministerial responsibility for the RM300 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC) and National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) scandals as it was during his tenure as Agriculture Minister that the troubled and controversial project was approved.
Who else apart from Muhyiddin should bear the full and final responsibility for the NFC “mess” where the objective of the project on cattle production to boost the nation’s beef self-sufficiency could go so wrong as NFC not only failed to meet this target, the RM250 million 2%-interest soft loan had been diverted not only to buy two luxury condominiums in Bangsar but also for other dubious transactions as exposed by PKR Secretary-General and MP Saifuddin Nasution and PKR chief of strategy Rafizi Ramli.
NFCorp was awarded the NFC project on 27th October 2006 and the RM250 million 2%-interest soft loan for NFCorp was signed on 6th December 2007 – both falling within the period when Muhyiddin was the Agriculture Minister.
Undoubtedly, Muhyiddin is more responsible for the NFC scandal than the current Agriculture Minister, Datuk Noh Omar.
As Minister directly responsible for the NFC scandals, Muhyiddin should have explained in the past month of deepening controversy over the NFC scandal why government scrutiny, supervision and monitoring of the project and in particular the RM250 million soft loan was so lax or even non-existent as to allow such gross breach of trust and abuse of public funds to take place?
Instead, Muhyiddin kept a discreet silence, leaving to others like Noh Omar and the NFCorp executive chairman Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Salleh Ismail, the husband of Minister for Women, Family and Community Development, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, to do all the explaining.
But only Muhyiddin himself can explain his Ministerial lapses which have resulted in the RM300 million NFC project becoming such a mess and scandal today!
Let Muhyiddin appear before the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) to explain his sins of commission or omission as Agriculture Minister before the 2008 general elections resulting in the NFC scandals – and let him explain the extent of Cabinet involvement or approval for the NFC project.
There is one preliminary matter on conflict-of-interest which the PAC would have to address before it proceeds to deal with the NFC scandals: whether the PAC Chairman, Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid should excuse himself from the PAC examination of the NFC scandals, as Azmi was a Cabinet Minister in the operative time of the approval of the NFC project – making him to a party to any Cabinet decision on the NFC project.
Can Azmi categorically declare that he was not involved in any way in any Cabinet approval or discussion of the NFC project before he was dropped from the Cabinet after the March 2008 general election when he was not re-appointed to the Cabinet?
KENYATAAN TAN SRI MUHYIDDIN
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin hari ini membidas kenyataan Ketua Pengarah Jabatan Hal Ehwal Khas (Jasa), Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi yang mendakwa dirinya berdiam diri mengenai isu National Feedlot Corporation (NFC).Sebaliknya Muhyiddin yang juga Presiden Bersatu meminta Mohd Puad bertanyakan isu tersebut kepada kerajaan sendiri.
Pada sidang medianya hari ini, Mohd Puad diminta jangan berdalih dan mempolitikkan perkara itu.
"Dia (Mohd Puad) tak perlu cabarpun, masalah yang berbangkit ialah yang kita tahu siasatan mengenainya dilakukan dengan rapi oleh pihak yang berkuasa dan langsung tidak membabitkan nama saya.
“Saya akui ia ditanda tangan semasa saya menteri pertanian kerana pimpinan masa itu, Tun Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi) ingin meningkatkan hasil pengeluaran negara.
"Puad Zarkashi sepatutnya tanya kenapa kerajaan tak ambil tindakan terhadap pengusaha yang mengusahakan projek itu hingga gagal,” katanya.
Terdahulu Mohd Puad dalam satu kenyataan mempersoal langkah Muhyiddin yang dilihat mendiamkan diri daripada membuat sebarang pencerahan membabitkan isu NFC.
Menurut Mohd Puad, Muhyiddin seolah-olah tidak berani tampil membuat pencerahan mengenai isu itu yang cuba dikitar semula oleh pembangkang.
Beliau turut mendakwa Muhyiddin lebih mengiyakan pembohongan pembangkang dan mengelak untuk memalukan rakan-rakannya jika tampil membuat pencerahan isu berkenaan.
Mengulas lanjut, Muhyiddin yang merupakan bekas Menteri Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani ketika kerajaan meluluskan NFC turut berkata, projek itu merupakan idea bekas Perdana Menteri, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
"Bukan saya yang sepatutnya menjawab tentang kegagalan projek itu sebaliknya pihak yang diberi tanggungjawab menjalankan projek tersebut hingga menjadikan ia projek gagal," katanya lagi.
KENYATAAN DATUK DR MOHD PUAD ZARKASHI
Presiden Presiden Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin perlu memperjelaskan perkara sebenar berhubung isu yang membabitkan beliau dengan National Feedlot Corporation (NFC).
Ahli Majlis Tertinggi UMNO, Datuk Dr Mohd Puad Zarkashi berkata, ini kerana bekas Timbalan Perdana Menteri dilihat tidak berani untuk tampil memberikan penjelesan berhubung isu NFC.
Tambahnya lagi, sebaliknya pembangkang kitar semula isu berkenaan dalam usaha untuk meraih sokongan.
“Pembangkang termasuk Muhyiddin mengutamakan pembohongan dan beliau enggan menjelaskan perkara sebenar kerana tidak mahu rakan sepejuangnya malu jika tampil berbuat sedemikian.
“Alasan Ketua Penerangan PPBM Datuk Kamaruddin Mohd Nor supaya Muhyiddin tidak tampil buat kenyataan adalah tidak logik. Jika pembangkang suka mengitar cerita lama, kenapa perlu memilih isu ketika itu beliau menyandang jawatan Menteri Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani, “ katanya.
Terdahulu Kamaruddin dalam sidang medianya berkata, walaupun ketika kelulusan penubuhan NFC pada 2006, Muhyiddin menyandang jawatan Menteri Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani, keputusan itu dibuat atas kapasiti kerajaan bukan atas kapasiti individu.
Mohd Puad berkata, Muhyiddin dan pembangkang bukan pejuang mereka ini adalah pakar manipulasi terhadap sesuatau isu demi kepentingan politik mereka.
“Saya mencabar Ketua Parlimen DAP, Lim Kit Siang, tampil dan mendesak Muhyiddin untuk memberikan penjelasan seperti yang pernah dituntutnya sebelum ini dan dihadapkan ke Jawatankuasa Kira-Kira (PAC),” katanya.
Kit Siang, dalam catatan di blog rasminya pada 21 November 2011 mendakwa: "Siapa lagi selain Muhyiddin yang patut dipertanggungjawabkan mengenai masalah NFC, di mana objektif projek ini adalah perusahaan ternakan lembu bagi memacu penghasilan daging negara yang mapan."
Kit Siang turut pernah mendesak supaya Muhyiddin dipanggil PAC bagi merungkai masalah dialami NFC.
NFC adalah syarikat milik Agroscience Industries Sdn Bhd dengan usaha sama kerajaan. Selepas siri penyiasatan dan prosiding mahkamah pada November 2015, Pengerusi Eksekutif NFC, Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail, dibebaskan daripada sabitan empat pertuduhan pecah amanah (CBT), membabitkan nilai keseluruhan RM49.7 juta.
