Nafas issue: Opposition leader wants minister, not senior officer, replaced

Opposition leader Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub should be replaced instead of the ministry's senior officer.

Ismail (above) said this over allegations surrounding an RM1.4 billion contract for fertilisers purportedly awarded directly to the National Farmers' Organisation (Nafas).

"It is impossible for a minister to not know (about the contract) unless the officers are not doing their jobs or the minister himself is not doing his job because he does not know what is happening in his ministry at all," he said in a press conference at Parliament today.

"If the minister does not know what is happening in his ministry, I think it is the minister who should be replaced." 

This issue was first brought up at a recent parliamentary debate where MCA president Wee Ka Siong reportedly claimed that three contracts worth RM1 billion have been cancelled after the agriculture ministry decided to award the projects through direct negotiations.

Salahuddin later admitted writing a letter to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Nov 7, recommending the contract to be given to Nafas, but the matter was still under consideration.

"Yes, I wrote to the PM as it is my responsibility and it is a process," he had said.

However, Salahuddin (photo) added that it would be a different matter if the letter of acceptance (SST) had been issued.

"If the SST has been issued and I interfere, then it is wrong," he said, adding that he was unaware that a senior officer in his ministry had carried out the tender exercise on that contract.

An unnamed Amanah leader then claimed that a senior officer in the ministry had sabotaged the minister by carrying out the tender without the minister's knowledge.

Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad had also previously said that there was possible sabotage among senior government officials when dealing with tenders without Salahuddin's knowledge.

The senior officer who allegedly sabotaged the minister was reportedly transferred to the Public Service Department with his service at the Agriculture Ministry ending on Nov 22.

Ismail said in today's press conference that the opposition was disappointed with the officer's transfer as ''this was the minister's mistake''.

"I believe the action from the (officer) is based on Pakatan Harapan's manifesto, that is all tenders must be done through open tender. When they (the ministers) have made a mistake, they look for a scapegoat," he said.

"This senior officer has been used as a scapegoat."  - Mkini