Aide says caterer told him ministry objected to Sanusi event

 

Hilmi Wahab, an aide to Sanusi Nor, said the state government had paid an undisclosed sum to rent the hall at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang.

PETALING JAYA: An aide to Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor accused agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu of lying when denying allegations that Putrajaya had disallowed a “buka puasa” event by the state government from being held.

Hilmi Wahab claimed that the directive to not green light the event came from the “ministerial level”, which was conveyed to him through a caterer.

“It is clear that Mat Sabu was lying when he said his ministry was not involved in preventing the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) from renting a hall to the Kedah government,” he said in a statement.

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Hilmi, who is Sanusi’s political secretary, said he had made arrangements to rent the hall for the event.

He said he had gone to check the venue on March 23 before agreeing on the rent for the hall, and a RM70,000 fee to hire a caterer.

Hilmi said the caterer sent a message a week later saying the event was a no-go since the ministry had objected to it.

Last night, Mohamad said he was puzzled by Sanusi’s claim that his ministry had prevented the event when MAEPS had yet to approve the application.

Mohamad said this in response to Sanusi’s claim that the ministry had revoked the approval.

Sanusi then said the event will proceed but will be held in Kuala Lumpur instead.

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Mohamad said since Sanusi announced that the “buka puasa” event would be held at another venue, the ministry considered that the one planned at MAEPS had been cancelled.

He also said that a similar programme by the PAS-led Terengganu government had been organised at MAEPS without any issue.

FMT has contacted Mohamad and the ministry’s office for comment. - FMT