NFC and Shahrizat: Not just political patronage but also about personal morality

The NFC fiasco has been haunting a number of VVIPs, including several Ministers and even a few corporate figures. The scandal gained momentum after the Accountant-General's Report was released, confirming weaknesses in the way the project was being managed.

But it is not only about the misappropriation of a huge government loan granted to kick-start the agricultural project, it is also a serious question of morality and the extent of political patronage in our system. These have made the people unbelieving of the explanations given by the government and the Shahrizats themselves.

Impossible for Salleh to get NFC without Shahrizat's position

NFC is a project in the cattle rearing industry aimed to reduce the nation's dependence on imported beef and other dairy products. The project was approved by the Cabinet through the Finance Ministry Incorporated under the responsibility of the Agriculture Ministry. For the record, not any Tom, Dick and Harry could have secured such a project with a loan financing of more than RM250 million spread over a period of more than 20 years for repayment, etc.

To put it bluntly, it would have been impossible for Salleh Ismail, the husband of Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Jalil, to secure the project and loan without any track record. So not only was there political patronage, there is also a question of morality in that - should the Shahrizats have accepted the award and then later deny a conflict of interest?

To scrutinize further, can Shahrizat deny that she did not have a role to play in securing the project based on her political office and the patronage system that undeniably exists?

The Accountant-General's office was entrusted under the law to monitor the project as the loan came from public coffers. It is rather unfortunate that the Auditor-General was dragged into the mess for doing what it should rightfully do - point out weaknesses when there are weaknesses.

Another factor that has caught the eye of the authorities following the controversy is that Malaysians seriously dislike nepotism. The outcry gained strength when it was confirmed that Shahrizat's entire family is involved in the NFC management and their friends and associates were also hired without going through corporate due diligence.

The Raja Nong Chik factor

Adding to the twist, is Shahrizat's own standing as a politician and the fate of the Lembah Pantai seat that she is hoping to regain from PKR's Nurul Izzah Anwar. With her family and her own reputation now in shreds, can Shahrizat hope to be given the chance to contest Lembah Pantai?

Her main competitor in Umno for the Lembah Pantai seat is Raja Nong Chik, the Umno division head for the constituency. By virtue of this position which signifies political dominance in the area, Raja Nong Chik should rightfully be in line for nomination to challenge PKR's Nurul and not Shahrizat. But the Umno Wanita chief wants to 'revenge' her loss to Nurul as Lembah Pantai has been her parliamentary seat since 1995.

Unfortunately, under the current circumstances, Shahrizat is not "a winnable candidate" in any constituency in both the Federal Territories (WP) or Selangor. The present mood in Lembah Pantai is still for Nurul to retain the MP's seat. To the people there, she is like a young and female Lee Lam Thye - the Lee Lam Thye of the 70s and 80s before he quit the DAP amid controversy in 1990.

A woman of substance

My belief is that Shahrizat is a seasoned and intelligent politician, a woman of substance in her own right. I have confidence that she can see for herself and understand how great the damage the NFC fiasco has exacted on her personal political standing.

Truth be told, the NFC scandal has already burdened her so much that her credibility in Umno is all but gone. Her integrity is now being robustly questioned and challenged by Wanita UMNO as well as the Supreme Council members. Some of her senior Cabinet colleagues have already distanced themselves from her and Umno Youth Khairy Jamaluddin no longer defends her.

To add salt to the wound, her deputy Kamiliia Ibrahim is demanding that she resolves the NFC issue immediately for fear that it will damage Umno, particularly Wanita Umno, which all said and done has been a major pillar of the party for the past 3 decades.

EGM soon

According to political consensus within Umno - as reported by some news portals like Malaysia Chronicle - it is likely that an Extra General Meeting (EGM) will be held soon to decide on Shahrizat's fate, either to continue her term of elected office or to suspend her with immediate effect as the Wanita Head.

Any further delay will certainly have a serious effect and impact on the party's performance in the 13th general election, due to be held within the next 6 to 8 months. Delay will obviously create a spillover of negative publicity for Najib's leadership as well.

There is no way that Shahrizat can expect or should be allowed to continue with her ministerial position, more so when she came to the post via a Senator-ship rather than as an elected representative of the people.

Prime Minister Najib Razak should act without fear or favour, but leave her position as Wanita chief to the best wisdom of the wing.

The Umno Supreme Council should also not hesitate to evaluate Shahrizat's current political position in the interest of the Umno-BN coalition as a whole, given the recent comments from Gerakan and MCA.

Datuk Mustapha Ong is an active blogger, a retired diplomat and a staunch Umno supporter