Noh Omar passes buck on NFC scandal to Muhyiddin...

Facing heat for his alleged role in the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) controversy, Datuk Seri Noh Omar today deflected all queries on the scandal to Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

The Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister, when asked by reporters today to explain why the NFC’s operations have not been discontinued when its assets have been frozen, told reporters here to direct their questions to Muhyiddin instead.

Noh declined to answer reporters’ questions on the NFC scandal. — Picture by Choo Choy May

He was also asked on the proposed action to be taken against NFC, which is being run by Datuk Seri Mohamed Salleh Ismail, the husband of minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abd Jalil.

“It’s okay, this one, you ask DPM,” he said twice during a press conference here, before adding that he had to leave.

Noh had earlier given a 20-minute press conference on new guidelines imposed by the government to regulate the birds nest industry in Malaysia.

His aide however confirmed with The Malaysian Insider later that the minister was scheduled to meet with Muhyiddin on the NFC this afternoon.

When announcing on Saturday that NFC’s assets have been temporarily frozen, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had said he had instructed both Muhyiddin and Noh to study how best to resolve the issue.

But despite the asset freeze, NFCorp executive director Wan Shahinur Izmir Salleh, Shahrizat’s son, said yesterday its operations have remained “uninterrupted”.

“Business is as usual in the company. Inventory of beef will continue to be supplied and all customer orders will be fulfilled. There is no interruption nor disruption,” he had said in a statement.

Opposition leaders have since expressed their dissatisfaction at the government’s latest move, calling instead for punishment for Shahrizat and her family.

The DAP’s Lim Kit Siang said today the freezing of assets was meaningless unless the collective monthly salaries of Shahrizat’s family were slashed by two-thirds from RM215,000 to RM71,000.

The veteran leader also questioned how much of the NFC assets have actually been frozen. Among others, opposition leaders have alleged that NFC’s assets include several luxury condominium units in Bangsar and Singapore, two pieces of land in Putrajaya and a Mercedes Benz.

PAS has also called for a royal commission of inquiry to probe the award of the controversial RM250 million NFC project to Shahrizat’s family, as well as a freeze on the assets of all company directors.

Shahrizat applied for three weeks’ leave from her duties last week after new allegations of bribery surfaced recently involving the project, which is operated by her husband and two of their children.

The NFC issue came to light when the 2010 Auditor-General’s Report pointed out that the corporation had badly failed to meet production targets.

Noh Omar elak menjawab isu NFC, sebaliknya

minta Muhyiddin jawab isu tersebut...

Berdepan dengan kesan kontroversi isu Pusat Fidlot Nasional (NFC) Datuk Seri Noh Omar hari ini meletakkan segala tanggungjawab itu kepada Timbalan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Menteri Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani ini menjawab sedemikian apabila ditanya pemberita mengapa operasi NFC tidak dihentikan dan menjawab persoalan itu perlu ditanyakan kepada Muhyiddin.

Beliau juga ditanya mengenai tindakan yang akan diambil terhadap NFC, yang dijalankan oleh Datuk Seri Mohamed Salleh Ismail, suami kepada Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abd Jalil.

“Tiada masalah, yang ini, anda tanya TPM,” katanya sebanyak dua kali semasa sidang media di sini sebelum meminta untuk pergi.

Noh (gambar) sebelum itu memberikan sidang media selama 20 minit mengenai panduan baru kerajaan Malaysia untuk mengawal industri sarang burung.

Pembantunya bagaimanapun mengesahkan bahawa Noh akan menemui Muhyiddin mengenai isu NFC petang ini.

Semasa mengumumkan pembekuan aset-aset NFC pada Sabtu lalu, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak berkata beliau telah mengarahkan Muhyiddin dan Noh untuk mencari jalan penyelesaian terbaik.

Tetapi disebalik pembekuan aset, Pengarah Eksekutif NFC Wan Shahinur Izmir Salleh berkata “operasi perniagaan syarikat berjalan seperti biasa.”

Bekalan daging lembu akan terus dibekalkan kepada semua pelanggan. Tiada sebarang gangguan,” katanya dalam satu kenyataan semalam.

Pemimpin pembangkang menyatakan rasa tidak puas hati terhadap keputusan terbaru kerajaan itu sebaliknya berharap tindakan tegas diambil ke atas Shahrizat dan keluarganya.

Ahli Parlimen Ipoh Timor, Lim Kit Siang hari ini menegaskan, tindakan kerajaan membekukan aset NFC adalah satu tindakan sia-sia kecuali jika gaji bulanan keluarga Shahrizat dipotong kepada dua pertiga daripada RM215,000 kepada RM71,000.

PAS juga meminta agar ditubuhkan suruhanjaya diraja untuk menyiasat kontroversi projek bernilai RM250 juta yang diserahkan kepada keluarga Shahrizat serta membekukan semua aset pengarah syarikat.

Shahrizat memohon cuti tiga minggu ekoran tuduhan yang dilemparkan terhadap diri dan keluarganya itu.

source:malaysian insider

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