Shahbudin: July 7 D-Day for Shafie Apdal on Mara

The Minister of Rural and Regional Development has promised to reveal all on Mara’s controversial property purchases abroad.

KUALA LUMPUR: A political analyst has taken to his blog to remind all stakeholders that the people will hold Minister of Rural and Regional Development, Mohd Shafie Apdal, to his pledge that he will reveal all on Mara’s controversial property purchases abroad during a breaking of the fast function on July 7 at the German Malaysian Institute.

Shafie, who is also an Umno vice-president from Sabah, is the Minister responsible for the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara). “July 7 will be a test of his commitment on transparency, openness and accountability.”

Shafie’s July 7 date is also significant, said Shahbudin Husin, given the fact that he has distanced himself from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on his handling of the RM42 billion 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

“He has skipped several meetings that Najib held to gather support for his administration in the wake of the 1MDB scandal hogging the limelight,” said the analyst. “He wasn’t at the meeting of Umno divisional chiefs at the PWTC, the Umno Headquarters, in Kuala Lumpur; Najib’s public gathering in Tawau, and he was also quick to dismiss the Prime Minister’s call to ministers to step down if they were not on the same page as him on 1MDB.”

Shafie, said Shahbudin, even asked the media sarcastically and cynically: “Don’t tell me that asking questions on 1MDB is wrong and it calls for quitting the Cabinet?”

Many people, reminded the analyst, even praised Shafie for his stand on 1MDB. They saw it as his commitment on transparency, openness and accountability at a time when other Ministers chose to keep quiet on the controversy. “Even those who supported Najib had no defence for 1MDB.”

Hence, Shahbudin wonders whether Shafie will be more of the same on July 7. “Or, will he still defend Mara as he did previously?”

“When Mara’s purchase of Dudley International House first made the news, he was quick to imply that there were no corrupt practices involved in the deal since there was only one Sales and Purchase Agreement on the property and everything was done according to procedures.”

Apart from The Age in Australia, the National Oversight and Whistleblowers (NOW), an NGO headed by Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, said Mara Inc bought at least four overpriced properties, added Shahbudin. “He said that the purchases were tantamount to corrupt practices for private gain.”

Shafie, he reiterated, cleared Mara after the Dudley International House became public knowledge. “It must be noted that Mara Chairman Annuar Musa handed documents on the purchases to the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC). At the same time, the authorities in Australia are investigating the Mara properties.”

Mara apparently spent RM374.3 million on four properties in Australia. “Will Shafie say on July 7 that not only Dudley House but the other three purchases also followed procedures?”

The 746 Swanston Street property at RM138.6 million was the most expensive buy, followed by 333 Exhibition Street at about RM100 million and 51 Queens Street at RM70.4 million. Dudley International House was the cheapest at RM65.3 million.