The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) will be one of the casualties of the RM330 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC)/National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) “cattle condo” scandal with Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid’s PAC Chairmanship remembered for his refusal to allow the PAC to investigate the scandal.
The Malaysian Insider report today quoting PAC members that there was no personal guarantee involved in the RM250 million government loan to NFCorp, giving rise to the question who is accountable to repay if the NFC project fails, has raised anew the issue why Azmi as PAC Chairman is single-handedly blocking the PAC from probing further into the “cattle condo” scandal highlighted after the Auditor-General’s Report 2010.
Azmi should reconsider his refusal to even convene a meeting of PAC to let the PAC members decide whether to proceed to conduct investigations into the “cattle condo” scandal or to suspend all PAC probes pending the outcome of police and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigations – when PAC members well know that the Malaysian public have little confidence that much would come out of police and MACC investigations.
In fact, as a member of the Tun Abdullah Cabinet which approved controversial NFC project in 2006, Azmi should not take part in any PAC discussion and decision whether PAC should investigate the “cattle condo” scandal – although Azmi claimed he could not remember whether the Cabinet during his time had discussed the project.
Women, Family and Community Development Minister, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s three-week Cabinet leave for the MACC to investigate whether she is involved in the “cattle condo” scandal will end this Friday, Feb. 3.
Will Shahrizat return to the Cabinet “cleared by the MACC” for involvement in the scandal or will she ask for a further extension of her leave from Cabinet until she could be fully and definitively cleared by the MACC?
NFCorp executive director Wan Shahinur Izmir Salleh said on Friday that “stories saying we are getting free money are unreasonable.”
He said: “RM250 million is a big amount. If we play around without direction, my children’s future will be destroyed. For centuries, we will be saddled with debt.”
Malaysians are not worried about “centuries” but here and now, and whether Minister without Portfolio in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Idris Jala’s prediction that Malaysia could go bankrupt in 2009 could come through with such financial abuses and indiscipline as the RM330 million “cattle condo” scandal.
It is significant that after being dragged over the coals for over three months, Shahrizat’s family members who run the NFCorp had failed to clear themselves of the many allegations of abuse of power and misuse of public funds which have been made against them despite several attempts on their part to meet up with “friendly” bloggers and NGOs.
For instance, although there have been denials that Shahrizat’s husband and three children draw RM215,000 a month as salaries from NFCorp – husband Dr. Mohammad Salleh Ismail drawing RM100,000 salary monthly as NFCorp Chairman, 31-year-old Izmir drawing RM45,000 monthly as executive director, another son Wan Shahinur Izran aged 27 drawing RM35,000 a month as CEO while 25-year-old daughter Wan Izzanah Fatimah drawing RM35,000 a month as the other director – Shahrizat’s family members have not come out with their own actual salary figures.
What is the reason for this shocking failure of Shahrizat and her family to clear their name in the court of public opinion?
First investigate who made Azmi Khalid the Chairman of PAC – his political masters??
This is a wonderful case study of how UMNO runs this country.
First, a 250 million soft loan granted to a company owned by a minister’s husband and children with zero experience in cattle farming. Looks like they had some experience in real estate as they bought two condos in Bangsar with the money. The loan was actually released three years before the implementation agreement was signed, so maybe this new breed of entrepreneurs thought they could do anything they want with the soft loan.
After public pressure, the MACC passed the buck to the police, who at one time went on record that their investigations were “80 pct complete”. Then they submitted their papers to the AG’s Chambers who returned the papers for “further” investigation.
Then Najib himself said that the assets of the company were frozen, in contradiction to the company’s claims that it was “business as usual”. Wait, what did Najib freeze ? No answer yet.
Then in December, the Chairman of the company paid RM 1.7 million to a conman to help influence the ongoing investigations. The conman was charged with cheating, but the person who hired the conman and paid the conman was never charged.
Now the management of the company said that the family’s future depended on the success or failure of the project, and they and their descendants would be held accountable. What is there to be accountable if no personal guarantees were involved ? The management also gave a presentation to Perkasa, whose leader came up with a tantalising snippet about a “non-Malay whistleblower” who embezzled millions from the poor company.
If this was no Bolehland, it would make a good scrip for a mamak movie about cows and condos. Maybe it still would.
The “poor” chairman of the company is apparently a PhD holder. It’s obvious that aside from having no cattle-farming skills, he also had no management or control skills to allow so many people to cheat him and his kids out of so much money. He has the rakyat’s full sympathy.
Forget about Azmi Khalid. This case involves his boss Mr Moo, and also the previous 4th floor boys led by KJ. Any PAC investigation or RCI would simply sink the UMNO ship.
Why would Shahrizat and her family need to clear their names in the court of public opinion? In the court of UMNO, they are “untouchables” since they know so much about all the other UMNO bigwigs and what deals they are getting.
“Live and let live” appears to be UMNO’s motto.
Mr Moo’s son-in-law, Hisham’s brother, Mamakthir’s children, Najib’s brothers, Rosie’s close friends…..you think they will encourage Shahrizat to squeal ?
// encourage Shahrizat to squeal //
Shahrizat will squeal with delight every time she thinks of the RM350 million gift from the Malaysian taxpayers.