Archive for category Auditor-General Report
New PR government in Putrajaya will establish RCI into the RM336.64 million NFC/NFCorp “cattle condo” scandal
Posted by Kit in Anwar Ibrahim, Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak on Sunday, 29 January 2012
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was very quick and abrupt yesterday in rejecting my call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the RM336.64 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC)/National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) “cattle condo” scandal, eager to pronounce the idea as “dead as a dodo”.
Malaysians everywhere are asking who is Muhyiddin to reject the call for a RCI into the “cattle condo” scandal when Muhyiddin himself, as the Agriculture and Agro-based Minister who approved the controversial project back in 2006, would himself be one of the subjects and personalities of any RCI investigation?
It smacks of conflict of interest on Muhyiddin’s part and he should exclude himself from any decision-making as to whether there should be a RCI into the cattle condo scandal, instead of being so gung-ho in opposing the proposal.
It is downright disgraceful that the RM336.64 million cattle condo scandal had dragged out publicly for three months like a soap opera without any satisfactory conclusion – which is a most telling indictment of the lack of political will of the Najib administration to declare effective and meaningful war on corruption and be an example of an open, accountable and transparent governance as promised in the 1Malaysia Government Transformation Programme (GTP).
If the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is unable to satisfactorily handle the RM336.64 million cattle condo scandal after three months, who believe that he has the political will to lead an all-out war against corruption which cost the country RM28 billion a year or address the problem of over a trillion-ringgit outflow of illicit capital overseas in a decade from 2000 to 2009 because of corruption and other financial malpractices? Read the rest of this entry »
The Auditor-General failed us
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption on Sunday, 29 January 2012
— Lucius Goon
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 27, 2012
JAN 27 — So, the people at the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) and their great supporter, Perkasa, are now playing semantics.
They are arguing that the Auditor-General never mentioned that NFCorp was a mess, that he instead mentioned the management of the project was weak or some admin-speak to that effect.
In the English language, we say that this is someone trying to shut the barn door after the horse has bolted or, should I say, after the cows have run off. It is too late for your verbal gymnastics.
My advice to Shahrizat Jalil’s family is just to seek forgiveness from the people of Malaysia. Don’t even bother relying on the Auditor-General for a crutch.
In my eyes, the Auditor-General failed us the taxpayers miserably! I say this because this was not some poor management or wrong allocation of resources. This was a scandal of massive proportions.
If not for the whistleblower and the opposition, would we have known about the condos, the umrah packages, and the personal expenses? And I have not even touched on the running of the feedlot project in Gemas or why this particular bunch of individuals were given this project. Read the rest of this entry »
Is govt dictating terms to Ambrin?
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Parliament on Sunday, 29 January 2012
Jeswan Kaur | January 28, 2012
Free Malaysia Today
If indeed the word “mess” was not used in his 2010 report to describe the state of affairs in the NFC, why did the Auditor General take three months to issue a clarification.
COMMENT
Three months ago, the Auditor-General declared the National Feedlot Centre project worth RM73.64 million was in a ‘mess’, so much so he suggested that the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry ministry talk with the Finance Ministry to determine the “direction of the project”.
Now, Ambrin Buang is saying that his report at no point mentioned that the NFC project was in a mess. The term “mess” he says was conjured by the press. Ambrin told the MCA-owned The Star that his team had never used words such as “mess”, “chaos” and “misappropriation” to describe the project.
Ambrin said: “These words were used by other parties and the department should not be held responsible. The department is of the opinion that if there are any elements of misappropriation in the implementation of this project, it would be up to the authorities such as the police or the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate.”
If indeed the word “mess” was not mentioned by the report, why did it take Ambrin three months to clarify? Is it not obvious that he has come under pressure from the ‘powers that be’ to do some damage control on this issue which has opened up a can of worms? Read the rest of this entry »
Why patriotic Malaysians must unite as one and in loud and clear voice demand for a RCI into the RM336.64 million NFC/NFCorp “cattle condo” scandal
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Najib Razak, Parliament on Friday, 27 January 2012
Four things are clear.
First, that there is something very rotten about the RM336.64 million National Feedlot Centre (NFC)/National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) “cattle condo” scandal – what with a RM250 million soft loan at 2% interest to promote cattle production used to buy two units of luxury condominiums in Kuala Lumpur and another condominium in Singapore, purchase of land in Precinct 10 Putrajaya, close to a million ringgit expenditures on overseas trips and extraordinarily high salaries for the family members of Datuk Seri Shahrizat, Minister for Women, Family and Community Development.
Second, that very high-level personalities are involved whether in the scandal or in the decision-making process resulting in the scandal, and that the personalities who must clear themselves include not only Shahrizat but also the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who was then Chairman of the Cabinet Committee on High Impact Projects which approved the NFC project in 2006, Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who was then the Minister for Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries, Datuk Seri Nor Omar, current Minister for Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries, even the former Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah as well as the entire former Cabinet before the 12th General Elections on March 8, 2008.
Third, the initial reactions of the various authorities unanimously trying to avoid touching the NFC/NF Corp scandal with a “barge pole”, although the Auditor-General, Tan Sri Ambrin Buang signed off the Auditor-General’s Report 2010 on 8th July 2011 with copies sent to the various relevant authorities, including the Cabinet – which probably explains the irresponsible inactions for more than six months, the delayed presentation of the Auditor-General’s Report in Parliament on October 25 when it should have been tabled in Parliament more than three weeks earlier on the first day of the Budget Parliament on 3rd October; the initial five-month refusal of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate the scandal; the refusal of the Public Accounts Committee Chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid to allow the PAC to conduct immediate and urgent investigations into the scandal although the PAC may cease to exist any time with the imminent dissolution of Parliament for the 13th General Elections and the continued refusal of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister to agree to a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the scandal. Read the rest of this entry »
Instruct police to speed up NFCorp probe, ex-top cop tells Najib
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Crime, Law & Order, Police on Thursday, 26 January 2012
By Yow Hong Chieh
The Malaysian Insider
Jan 26, 2012
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak should use his powers as prime minister to expedite the probe into the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), a former senior police officer said today.
Former city CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim said Najib could instruct the police, graftbusters and the Attorney-General’s Chambers to finish investigating the scandal-hit livestock company within a fortnight.
“Straightforward criminal breach of trust cases like [NFCorp] need at most two weeks,” he said in a statement.
“If the PM says he can’t interfere in the investigation or decision to prosecute, that’s just a weak and childish excuse.”
Mat Zain pointed out that in 1998, then-Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had ordered him to quickly wrap up the high-profile investigation into Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s black eye, failing which a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) would be set up to look into the police force. Read the rest of this entry »
Most deplorable at Mohamad Salleh’s attempt at semantics when the RM336.64 million NFC/NFCorp scandal is not just a “mess” but “a terrible mess”
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption on Thursday, 26 January 2012
It is most deplorable and the height of irresponsibility that at this late stage, after three months of continuous almost-dailyh adverse publicity, the family of Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development, is still trying to shirk accountability with her husband, Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail, the chairman of National Foodlot Corporation (NFCorp) Chairman claiming that the Auditor-General had confused NFCorp, a private entity, with the National Foodlot Centre (NFC) which is owned by the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry.
The Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang has not made any such mistake in his Federal Accounts Report 2010 and I am not aware that he had made any such admission in any subsequent statement.
Mohamad Salleh deserves public censure for his attempt at semantics to avoid accountability and responsibility when the RM336.64 million NFC scandal (which involves the NFCorp scandal) cries out for full disclosure and investigation, as the whole NFC/NFCorp scandal stinks, and is not just a “mess” (which the AG did not say) but a “terrible mess” (which the AG should have said)! Read the rest of this entry »
Auditor General forewarned that he would be destroying credibility of the sole national institution which had kept its reputation intact in past few decades if …
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Parliament on Wednesday, 25 January 2012
The Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang must be forewarned that he would be destroying the credibility of the sole national institution which had kept its reputation intact in the past few decades if he succumbed to improper pressures to “whitewash” the RM300 million “cattle condo” scandal, whether the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) or the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp).
The NFCorp chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail – husband of Woman, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil – has claimed that the Auditor-General in his 2010 Report had confused NFCorp, a private entity, with the NFC, which is owned by the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry.
Salleh said NFCorp is not the entity criticized in the Auditor-General’s Report for being “a mess”.
I have re-read the Auditor-General’s 2010 Report on the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project and there is nothing to justify Salleh’s claim that the Auditor General had made the most elementary mistake of confusing the two entities, mistaking NFC for NFCorp or vice versa.
Salleh should not try to escape responsibility and accountability for the RM300 million NFC/NFCorp “cattle condo” on such a technical and ridiculous ground.
Buang is right when he clarified today that the word “mess” was never used by him to describe the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC), but was made by media reports on the Auditor-General’s criticisms on the NFC project, and very rightly so. Read the rest of this entry »
In about face, MACC now says probing NFC
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, UMNO on Thursday, 22 December 2011
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
The Malaysian Insider
Dec 22, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) announced today it is investigating allegations surrounding the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC), despite previously saying it would not probe the matter.
The MACC earlier referred the case to the police, who are now conducting an investigation into possible criminal breach of trust.
But in a statement today, the commission revealed that a special team headed by MACC investigations director Datuk Haji Mustafar Ali has been formed to investigate claims of misappropriation of NFC funds.
“The commission would like to stress that the collection of evidence and testimony has begun since the issue was reported in the Auditor-General’s 2010 report and appropriate action has already been taken on issues raised (in the report),” it said, without detailing the commission’s actions so far.
The statement confirmed the receipt of the latest report concerning the NFC, but said the commission could not divulge any details of the on-going investigation. Read the rest of this entry »
Why are you frustrated?
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Teoh Beng Hock on Thursday, 24 November 2011
— Shanker
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 24, 2011
NOV 24 — PAC Chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid was reported to be frustrated, when giving his comments on the National Feedlot Centre controversy. “The public is fed up”, he told reporters.
Firstly, I would like to ask Datuk Seri Azmi: why are YOU frustrated? How could you lament at the inefficiencies, wastages and corruption which have become ingrained in our civil service’s DNA, when the nation’s CEO (who by extension, happens to be your boss) went to a by-election with his “I help you, you help me” tag proudly on display? Here’s a management lesson 101 then:- down-liners apply the same principles and work culture that the top adopts. The down-liners are also good at doing going to sleep with their eyes open, when the same top delivers speeches peppered with virtuous sounding jargons, because most of them could pick out a “do as I say, but don’t do as I do” type, when they hear one.
In fact Datuk Seri, I wish to ask you, is feeling frustrated ALL that you could muster? Pardon me, but frustrated sounds a little polite for me in the light of what is revealed, year in-year out, by the Auditor General’s report. Frustrated sounds muted when considering Barry Wain’s revelation that the Mahathir years have wasted approximately USD100 billion of our money. Read the rest of this entry »
Values?
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Good Governance on Tuesday, 22 November 2011
— Black Swan
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 22, 2011
NOV 22 — With the debacle that is the NFC and many other issues being hotly debated in Malaysia at the moment, a thought suddenly came to me.
The underlying and pervading issue here seems to be an issue of values. Let me qualify this: I am no psychologist with textbook definitions of values; I am a professional and mother who is increasingly aghast at what is going on in Malaysia.
Values to me are simply our personal guidelines that enable us to distinguish between right and wrong. We would do something that is right because our personal values guide so and we wouldn’t do something because the same values would, again, make us hesitate from doing it.
As the NFC debacle looms larger and politician after politician (from the highest offices of the government) come out and say that this was right and make it all sound very convincing, one then realises that they are saying so because they believe they are right. Why? Their personal values are guiding them.
Which brings to question the entire value system that is being practised. It has nothing to do with religion or race. These people’s values are guiding them to believe that they are right.
When you have politicians saying, “we want to do something because of its political dividend” or “we cannot afford to be ‘picky’” about which groups to align themselves with, and that everything must be done with only one goal in mind — winning the next election — the value system, to me, again comes into question. Isn’t public office about serving the people and doesn’t it require a certain degree of selflessness and humility? Read the rest of this entry »
Let Muhyiddin explain to PAC why the RM300 million NFC project he approved in 2006 has become such a mess and scandal
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Muhyiddin Yassin, Parliament on Monday, 21 November 2011
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyidddin 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. Read the rest of this entry »
Let the people judge
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Hishammuddin, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak, UMNO on Monday, 21 November 2011
— by Lucius Goon
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 20, 2011
NOV 20 — There is a new mantra in Putrajaya: when they are caught in a tricky or difficult situation, they say “Let the People Decide”.
There is a reason why Muhyiddin Yassin and Hishammuddin Hussein have suddenly become lovers of the public opinion. It is because they hope to end whatever debate is going on, to recoup their position and then hope that Malaysians forget about the particularly embarrassing event.
Muhyiddin caught at the centre of National Feedlot Corporation (let us not be mistaken: he is a central figure in this scandal because he approved the project), says that the public upon reading Shahrizat Jalil husband’s porous defence will not swallow the lies of the Opposition.
The DPM just wants to end the debate on an issue which can embroil himself.
Now Hishammuddin Hussein, the man who denied the will of the people for free elections, is also keen for the people to judge the government’s actions in using the ISA to arrest 13 alleged terrorists. Read the rest of this entry »
Would Muhyiddin have said in 2006 that it was legally, morally and ethically proper for NFC to use 2%-interest RM250 million soft-loan to buy condos?
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Good Governance, Parliament on Sunday, 20 November 2011
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has said that it was up to the public whether they wanted to accept the explanation given for the National Feedlot Corporation’s (NFC) “cattle condo” scandal.
Saying that the government “already knows the facts”, Muhyiddin had this to say after the NFC executive chairman Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Salleh Ismail had broken his three-week silence on the “cattle condo” scandal:
“We will leave that to the people to decide whether to accept the NFC’s explanation or not because the NFC has explained each issue that has surfaced.
“For us, the government, we know the truth. We don’t buy stories made up by the Opposition.”
Muhyiddin cannot be more wrong. Read the rest of this entry »
Something is rotten in the state of Malaysia
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Good Governance on Sunday, 20 November 2011
— CL Tang
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 19, 2011
NOV 19 — The line “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”, expressed by Marcellus to Hamlet, was in response to the former’s disgust at the moral decay and political corruption in the little kingdom.
In Malaysia, even as the foul stench of the National Feedlot Corporation’s (NFC) financial shenanigans permeates throughout the country, our leaders fail to smell anything fishy, leading to the question: “Do our leaders have any ounce of ethics left?”
This NFC fiasco has all the ingredients of cronyism, nepotism, corruption, incompetence and fraud.
Yet, there is no Marcellus in our government who thought it stank. Read the rest of this entry »
Its Muhyiddin and not Noh Omar who should answer whether the decision to award NFC project was discussed during Cabinet meetings
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Muhyiddin Yassin on Saturday, 19 November 2011
The Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Datuk Seri Noh Omar has denied that the decision to award the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project was discussed during Cabinet meetings.
He said: “I can confirm that NFC is under the High-Impact Projects Committee and at the time of the loan approval to NFC, that was not under the Cabinet, not (mentioned) in the meetings.”
It’s the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who was the Agriculture Minister in 2006 and who was responsible for the approval of the NFC project, who should answer whether the decision to award the NFC project was discussed during Cabinet meetings as Noh Omar only became Minister after the March 2008 general elections – and whether it gave rise to “conflict-of-interest” situations involving the Minister for Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and her family responsible for the NFC project.
Muhyiddin should also explain whether he and his Ministry were aware of the involvement of Shahrizat’s family when his Ministry made the NFC award. Read the rest of this entry »
Muhyiddin’s folly
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Good Governance, Muhyiddin Yassin, Najib Razak on Friday, 18 November 2011
— Ali Kadir
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 18, 2011
NOV 18 — Now I know why Najib Razak is always out of the country: the prime minister wants to show us what he also knows — that he has a pretty mediocre deputy.
Muhyiddin Yassin is at best of mentri besar quality, but unfortunately because of the dysfunctional system of Umno’s president and deputy president being given the number one and number two leadership posts in Malaysia, Muhyiddin is one position away from being the PM.
His handling of the National Feedlot Corporation scandal has been ridiculous and shifty. From the beginning he has tried to shift the responsibility of explaining the project to Noh Omar and others but he was the man who helmed the Agriculture Ministry which promoted and endorsed this project!!!
Today, he is quoted as saying that he leaves it to the public to accept or reject the explanation put forward by Mohamed Salleh of the National Feedlot Corporation but quickly says that as far as the government is concerned, these are all stories created by the Opposition.
Really? But the failure of the feedlot project was highlighted by the Auditor General, not Anwar Ibrahim or Lim Kit Siang. Read the rest of this entry »
NFC beat target, says Shahrizat’s husband
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Good Governance on Friday, 18 November 2011
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 17, 2011
GEMAS, Nov 17 — The controversial national cattle farming project went beyond its set target, chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail said today, disputing a federal audit describing the scheme as being “in a mess”.
“In fact, [National Feedlot Corporation (NFC)] has raised 8,016 head of cattle in 2010, surpassing its target of 8,000 head of cattle. We are importing cattle from Australia and we have to feed them for between four and six months. Read the rest of this entry »
NFC boss says twin cattle condos are rental cash cows
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Good Governance on Thursday, 17 November 2011
By Clara Chooi
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 17, 2011
GEMAS, Nov 17 — Dogged by claims of irregularity, the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) finally broke its silence today to defend its purchase of multi-million luxury condominum units in Bangsar as a “good business decision”.
In a press briefing opened to selected mainstream media organisations, its chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh reasoned that the investment had helped yield better returns for the NFC project compared to keeping the money in a bank.
It was also revealed then that the NFC owns two units at the upmarket condominium, as opposed to one as previously reported.
According to Berita Harian Online, however, Mohamad said the condominium units had cost over RM6 million each, instead of the RM9.8 million originally alleged by PKR.
Mohamad reportedly claimed that the money, if held in a bank, would have only yielded 2.6 per cent in annual returns. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib should intervene in the RM10 million “condominium for cattle” scandal by recalling RM181 million loan to NFC not used for purpose of cattle production
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Good Governance on Sunday, 13 November 2011
As shocking as the revelation about the RM10 million “cattle for condominium” scandal is the self-righteous statement by the Minister for Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Datuk Noh Omar aiding and abetting a gross misappropriation of public funds.
Claiming that the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) had not used government funds for the purchase of the RM9.8 million Bangsar luxury condominium, Noh said that once NFC received money from the government, it was thereafter considered the company’s private funds and the government had no say as to how it would be used.
Noh said the government had loaned NFC RM250 million made into a special loan account (SLA) in Maybank that was controlled by the Finance Ministry.
Noh said RM181 million from that account had been disbursed to NFC based on the latter’s claims.
The government only had control of funds that were in the SLA, but had none over how the company spends the money once it has been disbursed, said the minister.
“If the money has been paid to NFC after fulfilling set conditions, the government cannot control what NFC does with it, including purchasing the said condominium, because it is then considered the company’s money. Read the rest of this entry »
Should we settle for this nonsense?
Posted by Kit in Auditor-General Report, Corruption, Good Governance on Sunday, 13 November 2011
— Ali Kadir
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 13, 2011
NOV 13 — It is left to us, ordinary Malaysians, to show outrage at the thievery, corruption, mismanagement and subterfuge that is happening in our country.
Let us just ponder at what has happened since the Auditor-General noted that the National Feedlot project was a failure or on the verge of being a failure. First, you have the deputy prime minister downwards trying to convince Malaysians that the project was a success, with arguments that defy logic.
Then you had Noh Omar and Khairy Jamaluddin speaking up and defending the track record of the project and the main beneficiaries of the RM250 million soft loan: Shahrizat Jalil’s family.
Their defence of the incredible — the squandering of public funds — indicated that the old and new of Umno are joined at the hip by ignorance, stupidity and a seemingly endless acceptance of bad practices. Read the rest of this entry »
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