‘Muhyiddin should have resigned with Shahrizat’

PKR’s Zuraida Kamaruddin says Muhyiddin was negligent and not transparent in awarding the NFC project to Shahrizat's family.

KUALA LUMPUR: Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin should have stepped down following the exposé of the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scandal as he was the Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister who awarded project to a company with no capability, Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin said today.

The PKR leader said Muhyiddin had been negligent and acted without any transparency in awarding the NFC project to a company (NFCorp) which was not experienced.

“No consideration was given to the code of ethics on conflict of interest between family members in receiving loans from the government.

“He should have taken responsibility for awarding the contract and resigned immediately,” she said.

Yesterday, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) revealed that the allegations against the NFC scandal were indeed true.

It said the Agriculture Ministry had awarded the project to a company which had no technical or financial capabilities.

The NFC project was awarded to NFCorp, run by the husband and children of then cabinet minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.

Shahrizat resigned from her post as senator and Minister for Women’s Affairs following the scandal.

Zuraida then pointed out that if the matter was not exposed by PKR, investigation on the NFC and Shahrizat’s family would not have materialised.

“Only after PKR exposed the misappropriation of funds did the MACC start the investigations which have proved that we are in fact, right,” she said.

Following MACC’s revelation, Zuraida also questioned the recent appointment of Shahrizat as special adviser to the prime minister on women’s affairs.

“Amid all these, why was she still appointed as special adviser to the prime minister?” she asked.