Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, yang membisu berhubung
skandal syarikat Perbadanan Fidlot Kebangsaan (NFC) digesa menjelaskan
mengapa syarikat milik Ketua Wanita Umno, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul
Jalil dipilih menguruskan projek mega ternakan lembu itu dan bukannya
syarikat Felda yang turut membuat bidaan.Memetik jawapan yang diberikan oleh Menteri Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani, Datuk Seri Noh Omar di Dewan Rakyat pada 31 Oktober tahun lalu, Rafizi berkata Najib yang merupakan Timbalan Perdana Menteri ketika itu, mempengerusikan Jawatankuasa Pemilihan Projek Fidlot Negara pada tahun 2006.
Jawatankuasa itu menerima bidaan daripada enam syarikat, termasuk dari Felda Farm Products Sdn Bhd, anak syarikat Felda Plantations Sdn Bhd, dan Agroscience Industries Sdn Bhd bagi mendapatkan projek mega itu.
Jawatankuasa itu kemudiannya memilih Agroscience Industries dan Lamberts Agriculture Trade (M) Sdn Bhd untuk dipertimbangkan lanjut tetapi Lamberts kemudian menarik diri. Justeru, Agroscience Industries menjadi syarikat tunggal untuk melaksanakan projek itu.
Membandingkan profil semua enam syarikat yang membuat bidaan itu, berdasarkan dokumen yang diperolehi, Rafizi, seorang eksekutif korporat sebelum menceburi dunia politik, berkata, beliau membuat kesimpulan bahawa Felda Farm Products adalah syarikat terbaik untuk melaksanakan projek ini.
Syarikat itu ditubuhkan pada tahun 1995 dengan modal berbayar sebanyak RM10 juta dan pada 31 Disember 2010 telah membuat keuntungan RM9.6 juta.
Manakala Agroscience Industries yang hanya ditubuhkan setahun sebelum kontrak dianugerahkan tidak mempunyai pengalaman dalam perternakan lembu.
"Tidak perlu seorang genius untuk memikirkan mana syarikat terbaik untuk diberikan projek itu," kata Rafizi.
"Najib tidak boleh lepas tangan dan berdiam diri seperti apa yang dilakukannya sejak enam bulan yang lalu."Beliau sama seperti (bekas Perdana Menteri) Pak Lah sekarang. Malah, beliau lebih senyap berbanding Pak Lah ... Tandatangannya ada pada projek ini.
"Jika beliau tidak memberi maklum balas, kami akan mendedahkan sesuatu," kata Rafizi, sambil mencabar Najib untuk menjadi ‘lelaki budiman’ (gentleman).
"Saya tidak mahu menggunakan perkataan pengecut. Tetapi setakat ini perkataan untuk menggambarkan Najib yang meninggalkan Shahrizat keseorangan menangkis isu ini, adalah bukan lelaki budiman."-malaysiakini
Najib, why not cattle project for Felda subsidiary?
PKR today called Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who has been seen as silent on the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal, to explain why he did not choose a Felda subsidiary that had also bid for the cattle breeding project.Najib has to tell the people why he picked the company owned by Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's family to undertake the mega project, the party said.
Citing the answer of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar, in Parliament on Oct 31, 2011, PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli (left in photo) pointed out that Najib, who was deputy prime minister then, chaired the National Feedlot Project Anchor Company Selection Committee in 2006.
The committee invited six companies, including Felda Farm Products Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Felda Plantations Sdn Bhd, and Agroscience Industries Sdn Bhd to submit their biddings for the mega project.
Eventually, the committee shortlisted Agroscience Industries and Lamberts Agriculture Trade (M) Sdn Bhd, but Lamberts withdrew, making Agroscience Industries the sole company to execute the project.
Comparing the profiles of all six companies, based on documents obtained from company searches, Rafizi, a corporate executive before venturing into politics, concluded that Felda Farm Products was the best company for the project.
The company was established in 1995 with a paid-up capital of RM10 million and RM9.6 million as revenue as of Dec 31, 2010, while Agroscience Industries was only formed a year before the contract was awarded, and had no experience in cattle farming.
“It does not take a genius to figure out which should be the best company to take over the project,” said Rafizi.
“Najib cannot wash his hands and keep quiet like what he has done in the last six months.
“He is like (former prime minister) Pak Lah now. He is quieter than Pak Lah... He has his signature on the project.
“If he doesn’t respond, we’ll bring something on him,” warned Rafizi, adding that the premier “is not a gentleman”.
“"I don’t want to use the word coward. But the only word to describe Najib for leaving Shahrizat alone to fend off the issue so far, is not gentleman.”
Natural choice among six companies
Asked about the RM22 million loss suffered by Felda Farm Products as shown in the financial documents, Rafizi, who is also the chief executive officer of the Selangor Economic Adviser's Office, argued that the major criteria to evaluate the size and operations of a company is its revenue.
He said the loss may not reflect the company’s performance unless more details were available.“Felda may not be the best company, that’s why the government should call for an open tender.
"If I was Najib, my natural choice among these six companies would be Felda Farm Products because the other five were just formed yesterday,” he stressed.
Furthermore, Rafizi elaborated, Felda possesses huge land and its settlers can be readily trained to farm cattle.
“Najib is responsible for granting the project to Shahrizat’s family. If he had given it to Felda, we would not have the mess now,” he added.
Hence PKR demanded the premier to publish all minutes of the selection committee meetings and explain: Why he sidelined Felda Farm Products in awarding the project; and what was the criteria used by him to award the project? - malaysiakini
Najib was the one who chose the Shahrizats for NFC, sidelining Felda
It was Prime Minister Najib Razak who selected a company owned by
the family of Umno minister Shahrizat Jalil to be awarded the NFC
cattle breeding project, whilst his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin endorsed the
decision in his then capacity as Agriculture minister in 2006.
Najib, apart from heading the selection committee which also picked Lambert Sdn Bhd for a slice of the NFC project, also came under fire for not considering Felda, the national land resettlement scheme that falls under his direct supervision.
“The anchor company selection committee for the NFC was chaired by Datuk Seri Najib Razak. He must explain how he can talk about fighting for Felda with the public listing but did not give the project which would have benefited the settlers,” PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli told a press conference.
Indeed,
the other shocker from Tuesday's revelations was the ruthless manner
in which Najib had sidelined the interests of Felda, which given its
land bank and agricultural experience, would surely be the most
appropriate agency to be given first shot at the project. "Felda has the land and they need to value-add their operations," said Rafizi.
Indeed, 6 firms including Felda Farm Product Sdn Bhd, Group Five Bonsmara Breeding Centre Sdn Bhd, Agroscience Industries Sdn Bhd, Lamberts Agriculture Trade (M) Sdn Bhd, MIG Farm Sdn Bhd and MLC Industries Sdn Bhd were invited by the government to tender for NFC.
Yet, Najib chose Agro Science, the least experienced of the lot, and Lamberts, which is a unit of an Australian firm that had drawn up a master proposal for the project. Lamberts was given 500 acres to develop and Agro Science 5,000 acres.
The
National Feedlot Centre project has become a showcase of Umno political
patronage, corruption and treachery, with key factions involved in the
deal.
Which is the true story story and who was really at fault - Najib, Muhyiddin, Badawi or Khairy - is unlikely to be ever made clear, especially officially, although all three factions will spread their version of the truth through their blogs and media.
Regardless of who was to blame, what is clear is that Malaysian public gets the short end of the stick, together with Felda - which has been looking for a good viable project to add to its planting activities for a long time now.
The NFC project - awarded to Agro Science which in turn set up NFCorp to manage it - has been described has having fundamental "weaknesses" by the Auditor General.
Revelations
by Rafizi and his team, which includes PKR Women's chief Zuraida
Kamaruddin and Felda bureau chief Suhaimi Said, that NFCorp had abused
its powers, including splurging a large chunk of the loan on luxury
condominiums, overseas holidays, credit card purchases, giving
million-ringgit discounts to other family-owned firms, have stunned and
angered Malaysians who want those responsible to face action.
So far, Shahrizat has insisted the NFC was awarded to her family and there was no reason for her to resign as she was not involved in the project's dealings. Her defense was ripped apart and condemned even by her own Umno colleagues.
Top Umno leaders such as Muhyiddin Yassin have been hesitant about the sort of action to take, while Najib has hinted that it was possible that the Attorney-General may not take action against the Shahrizats.
"Who then should pay for all the government loan used for the wrong purposes? What about interest on the free use of the government loan? Frankly, even if the Shahrizats have managed to make enough money from investing in the condos and what-not, it is still illegal and against the Companies Act to use a government loan for making non-related purchases or to 'sub-lend' to the directors. Who will punish the Shahrizats or will Umno let them off, so as long as they make good the RM250mil as Nazri Aziz had once proposed," Zuraida told Malaysia Chronicle.
Indeed,
Nazri - the minister in the PM's Department - had several weeks ago
dropped a bombshell by proposing that Shahrizat need not resign so long
as her family paid back the money they owed NFC. Obviously, Nazri was
immediately denounced for his suggestion, which civil society and
transparency advocates said was tantamount to supporting and
whitewashing corruption.
“I am saying this on the principle that assumptions cannot be made on what is going to happen (next) because it is up to the A-G ... and only he has the right to make the decision in this matter. We cannot make the assumption that all investigations end with prosecution,” Najib told reporters on Sunday.- Malaysia Chronicle
Najib, apart from heading the selection committee which also picked Lambert Sdn Bhd for a slice of the NFC project, also came under fire for not considering Felda, the national land resettlement scheme that falls under his direct supervision.
“The anchor company selection committee for the NFC was chaired by Datuk Seri Najib Razak. He must explain how he can talk about fighting for Felda with the public listing but did not give the project which would have benefited the settlers,” PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli told a press conference.
Why no open tender and why not Felda
Indeed,
the other shocker from Tuesday's revelations was the ruthless manner
in which Najib had sidelined the interests of Felda, which given its
land bank and agricultural experience, would surely be the most
appropriate agency to be given first shot at the project. "Felda has the land and they need to value-add their operations," said Rafizi.Indeed, 6 firms including Felda Farm Product Sdn Bhd, Group Five Bonsmara Breeding Centre Sdn Bhd, Agroscience Industries Sdn Bhd, Lamberts Agriculture Trade (M) Sdn Bhd, MIG Farm Sdn Bhd and MLC Industries Sdn Bhd were invited by the government to tender for NFC.
Yet, Najib chose Agro Science, the least experienced of the lot, and Lamberts, which is a unit of an Australian firm that had drawn up a master proposal for the project. Lamberts was given 500 acres to develop and Agro Science 5,000 acres.
Umno's quagmire of corruption and treachery
Najib was then the deputy prime minister and whie he may have headed
the NFC selection committee, according to the Umno grapevine, it was
Abdullah Badawi - the then prime minister - and his son-in-law Khairy
Jamaluddin who had allegedly 'pre-selected' the Shahrizats for the
project, which also carried in tow a RM250mil government soft loan.
Which is the true story story and who was really at fault - Najib, Muhyiddin, Badawi or Khairy - is unlikely to be ever made clear, especially officially, although all three factions will spread their version of the truth through their blogs and media.
Regardless of who was to blame, what is clear is that Malaysian public gets the short end of the stick, together with Felda - which has been looking for a good viable project to add to its planting activities for a long time now.
The NFC project - awarded to Agro Science which in turn set up NFCorp to manage it - has been described has having fundamental "weaknesses" by the Auditor General.
So far, Shahrizat has insisted the NFC was awarded to her family and there was no reason for her to resign as she was not involved in the project's dealings. Her defense was ripped apart and condemned even by her own Umno colleagues.
Top Umno leaders such as Muhyiddin Yassin have been hesitant about the sort of action to take, while Najib has hinted that it was possible that the Attorney-General may not take action against the Shahrizats.
"Who then should pay for all the government loan used for the wrong purposes? What about interest on the free use of the government loan? Frankly, even if the Shahrizats have managed to make enough money from investing in the condos and what-not, it is still illegal and against the Companies Act to use a government loan for making non-related purchases or to 'sub-lend' to the directors. Who will punish the Shahrizats or will Umno let them off, so as long as they make good the RM250mil as Nazri Aziz had once proposed," Zuraida told Malaysia Chronicle.
Umno standing up for corruption
Indeed,
Nazri - the minister in the PM's Department - had several weeks ago
dropped a bombshell by proposing that Shahrizat need not resign so long
as her family paid back the money they owed NFC. Obviously, Nazri was
immediately denounced for his suggestion, which civil society and
transparency advocates said was tantamount to supporting and
whitewashing corruption.
Nonetheless, Najib himself has sounded warning that despite the
police recommendation for Salleh Ismail, Shahrizat's husband and the NFC
chairman, to be charged for CBT, it was not incumbent on the Attorney
General to prosecute or to arrest Salleh.
“I am saying this on the principle that assumptions cannot be made on what is going to happen (next) because it is up to the A-G ... and only he has the right to make the decision in this matter. We cannot make the assumption that all investigations end with prosecution,” Najib told reporters on Sunday.- Malaysia Chronicle
cheers.
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