What is the response of the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development and Wanita UMNO leader Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to the advice of her Cabinet colleague, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz that her family repay the RM250 million government loan obtained for the scandal-ridden National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project?
Would she be telling the Cabinet meeting tomorrow her response to Nazri’s advice who had claimed that this was the best solution to put an end to the ongoing controversy without forcing her resignation as Minister?
Equally important, does the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak as well as the other Cabinet Ministers agree with Nazri?
Nazri’s shocking suggestion has raised many questions as well as evoked various scenarios.
Firstly, can a deal be struck with anyone facing or likely to face criminal charges for being caught in a sticky political situation?
Retired Kuala Lumpur CID chief, Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim, has accusd Nazri of trying to strike a deal with Shahrizat and her family by asking her to repay the RM250 million federal loan for NFC.
He stressed that even if the minister’s family repaid the entire amount of the loan, it could not indemnify her family members who would continue to be liable for the offences of financial abuses and misappropriations committed by them.
Or as a commentator on my blog has argued very cogently:
“Nazri is talking about repatriation of ill-gotten gains. Even if it does happen, it will not absolve wrongdoing committed by relevant parties at 1st instance but may mitigate severity of their punishment for that wrong doing….
“However when it comes to holding public office, it is hard to see how that can be maintained at status quo when abuse, if any, has been conceded by the very act of repatriating the fruits of that abuse!
“Surely one cannot set a precedent where a public office holder can abuse his/her office and risk nothing except only returning/repatriating ill gotten gains as a way not only to escape punishment but to hold on to that office/position abused!
“Like that the whole reward-punishment system becomes topsy-turvy and soon the attitude of ‘nothing ventured nothing gained’ will be prevalent as far as abusing public positions goes when there is no cost but only benefit to venture a wrongdoing!
“Isn’t it so if the best is when one gets to keep the ill gotten gains (if not caught) (a real happy ending), and the worst a wrong doer faces when (bad luck) he/she is caught is just having to give up ill gotten gains (without punishment) (a not so unhappy ending)?”
Secondly, is Nazri privy to information that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC), the Police and the Attorney-General’s Chambers have reached the final conclusion that neither Shahrizat nor her family members had been guilty of any offences under any laws of the land after the investigations into the NFC scandal, that they have not committed any legal wrongs although their conduct may be morally and politically reprehensible.
If so, this reflects most adversely on the independence, integrity and professionalism of the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the two enforcement agencies, MACC and the police.
Otherwise,how could Nazri be so presumptuous as to say:
“She does not have to resign. The main thing is, return the money to the government.
“But after this, it is better to use open tender to avoid such unwanted incidents.”
Thirdly, was Nazri just reflecting the thinking of the Najib UMNO leadership – that the whole matter can be “covered up” if Shahrizat repays the RM250 million government loan. If so, isn’t this a gross interference with the independence, integrity and professionalism of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the police and the MACC, and a travesty of the rule of law, as it is no less than a very clear signal to the relevant authorities of the “wishes” of the government political leadership of the day.
It is most unfortunate that one collateral damage of the NFC scandal is that the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is likely to be one of the casualties.
NFCorp chief executive officer Wan Shahinur Izmi Salleh has made the shocking public claim that the NFCorp has been given a completely blank cheque to do what it likes with the RM250 million government loan, as “NFC retains the prerogative to invest the funds in the best interests of the company”.
Although PAC member and MP for PJ Utara, Tony Pua has said that the PAC had been told by a senior Finance Ministry official at its meeting in November that the NFC loan could not be used for purposes other than what had been specificed, that the purpose of each drawdown must be clearly stated and that the ministry had never received an application from NFCorp to purchase property, the PAC has not sighted nor verified the NFC loan agreement and other relevant documentation.
MPs from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat have a right to expect the PAC to inform them of the outcome of PAC examination into the NFC loan agreement and other relevant documentation and establish the true facts of the case.
Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid would have to explain to Parliament when it reconvenes on March 12 why he had refused to convene a PAC meeting since its last PAC meeting on November 23 to have sight on the NFC loan agreement and other relevant documentation so as to fully discharge its PAC duties.
Confiscate the properties….worth millions…and that’s enough punishment for Shahrizat and hubby.
It’s always forgive and forget…for their kind.
That’s the kind of Law Minster we have….and he even said…UMNO b ministers need not declare their assets to the public.
A crime is a crime. You cannot undo a crime which has been committed.
This is out of court settlement! The law of the land is for the weak and powerless. For those in power, if they can get away with cheating, they laugh to the bank. If they are caught, they just return the money. Robbers can get away without punishment if they return what they have robbed. That is Nazri’s proposition. If a motorist beat the traffic light, he should just come around, stop at the traffic light and follow the light. There is no more traffic offence. That shows that Malaysia is a caring government, or a secret society.
Quote from MI ““The loan was given just for that. If you use the money for something else, you don’t need to be a lawyer to see that there is a breach of trust, it’s so simple,” said the de facto law minister. ”
The statement is true, but why it take such a long time for a lawyer who is a minister to realise and make that statement in public?
There is no point of wasting any further time and money, the tax payer money and our money on this issue. The Cops and MACC should complete its report and AG just take what is right.
If they can with lightning speed act on a hear say of opposition misuse of thousand of RM and assembled a team and work round the clock why can’t they act on more so an audited report from none other than the Auditor General?
Where is their efficiency? Why do all the monkey act by shacking hand with the one who is suppose to give statement? Do you mean this head has nothing better to do?
The whole saga now unfolding publicly is a revelation of umno’s internal working. The fact that one umno minister could so casually ask the wrongdoer-cow-minister to return the money and then all else will be fine shows that umno has absolutely no regard for the laws and the people’s sentiments; and that umno treats the country’s wealth as its personal wealth such that in the event of problems regarding the use of the wealth the problems will be resolved internally. Semua boleh kautim. Senang. Boleh bincang. Boleh settle. Tapi kalau opposition, pasti kena paksa bunuh diri.
Legally Shahrizat has nothing to do with NFC. She is not director and she is no shareholder either. So legally she has nothing to do with NFC. That fact and can not challenge of course in legal term.
But she is the wife and mother of the directors in NFC, and more importantly she is a minister of the government of the day who has given out the cheap loan. That was the issue.
Resign or otherwise also has nothing to do with NFC loan, legally speaking, but if she is not a minister then we shall ask will NFC and gang got the loan? and by this time most probably those in NFC have already being charge in court if not because she is a minister? That was the real issue.
Currently the 8TV is showing the “Journey to The West”, in real life BN is showing another show “Journey of the Lembu To Condo Mewah”. The script is repeating again, with the hand shaking and statement like investigation in on going, AG sent back investigation paper to Police and ask Police to probe further, MACC will call this and that and more statements will be taken in more days to come, investigation is at 80% completion and finally report submit to AG for his further decision……………. but the time the monkey god has become Buddha………… yet no decision ………….
Many are involved and benefited, directly or indirectly…..it’s not their money, nobody cares!
What do you mean by ‘becomes’? It already is. All it does it make it even MORE sensationally so..
”Whole reward-punishment system becomes topsy-turvy if a deal can be struck with Shahrizat’s family”
And how about the deal struck between TJ and Danaharta today?
Is it OK?
Sorry, mistake.
”Whole reward-punishment system becomes topsy-turvy if a deal can be struck with Shahrizat’s family”.
And how about the deal struck between Taj R and Danaharta today?
Is it OK?
You people are so naïve ? What reward-punishment system ? There is no punishment, only reward. Show me one UMNOputra or crony who has lost money as a result of a retraction of the concession awarded to him or show me a concessionaire who has lost money through his failure to implement the concession.
And I’ll show you a pig with wings.
Haiya..why can PM just take the loan agreement, read it to know whether the money was spent for the cow project? Pity the NFC management, they need to safeguard the rakyat’s money by buying non-cow related expenditure.
Pay the government the money as YB Nazri said…if I steal RM100 from LGE…i committed a crime…it doesnt matter if I repent, return the money to LGE and LGE forgive me..stealing is a crime.(PERIOD)
NFC’s RM250million is rakyat’s money.(PERIOD)
Yes. Here it is. Where have you been?
http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20070831020749/uncyclopedia/images/a/a2/Flying_Pig.jpg
In “enlightened” muslim countries, murderers on death row will be acquitted and forgiven if they pay “blood money” to the victims’ families. In other words, I might kill someone in cold blood, but then I am released a free man should I pay RM5,000 to my victim’s family