Was it Muhyiddin or Mahathir who committed these “crimes”?
Why does The Vibes not reveal this very important fact? Everyone knows Francis Yeoh is Mahathir’s business partner cum proxy and that YTL partly belongs to Mahathir. And yet The Vibes singles out Muhyiddin for attack while not revealing the hidden hands behind the scene.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Reading the article by The Vibes (see below) would give the impression that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is corrupt like hell. But then this is the perception The Vibes is trying to create: that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is corrupt like hell.
Let’s be fair. If we want to whack Wakil Rakyat (Ahli Parlimen and ADUN) regarding the money they are spending, then let’s whack all of them, not just Muhyiddin alone. There are more than 800 Wakil Rakyat. Muhyiddin is not the only Wakil Rakyat.
The Republicans say the Monarchy or Raja-Raja Melayu are a waste of the taxpayers’ money. You think so? How much do you think the 800 plus Wakil Rakyat cost the taxpayers? If you think the Monarchy is expensive, go and audit how much the Wakil Rakyat cost. You will fall off your chair in shock.
First of all, what is the crime which Muhyiddin is supposed to have committed? All (yes, ALL) 800 plus Wakil Rakyat are given a budget or allocation to spend in their kawasan (constituency) to build whatever needs to be built for their constituents. And this allocation comes to billions over the five years they are in office (yes, BILLIONS).
The Pakatan Harapan Wakil Rakyat are also allocated millions to build halls and other things in their constituencies
Hence halls or dewan (and many other facilities as well) are built all over Malaysia, not just in Pagoh. It is the discretion of the Wakil Rakyat what they need to spend and what they need to spend it on. Even Pakatan Harapan Wail Rakyat get this budget or allocation. This is not just for Perikatan Nasional Wakil Rakyat.
Okay, so three halls costing RM35.4 million were built in Pagoh. Can The Vibes tell us how many more halls were built (or are being built) all over Malaysia over the last five years? And how much do/did they cost in total? RM200 million? RM300 million? RM500 million? RM1 billion? Give us the figures!
They are making it appear as if only three halls worth RM35.4 million were built in Pagoh and no other halls were built anywhere else in Malaysia over the last five or ten years. And why are Muhyiddin’s people sleeping and are not replying to this lie? Gaji buta ke? Show lah the statistics. Susah sangat ke?
The three halls costing RM35.4 million is not an issue. It is what the Wakil Rakyat are allocated. Semua lebih dari 800 Wakil Rakyat dapat juga.
Mahathir did not just build halls but developed a whole island in his kawasan
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad developed an entire island in his kawasan when he was the Prime Minister. How much did that cost? Takde isu pun!
You might argue that Langkawi was a private effort. But then who paid for the massive and expensive infrastructure? To attract investors, the government needs to spend billions on the infrastructure — airports, jetties, water treatment plants, electricity supply, roads, hospitals, police stations, schools, dewans, and many other things included.
So, what’s such a big deal about RM35.4 million for three halls? Much ado about nothing. They are trying to make something normal appear abnormal. And they are trying to make it appear like Muhyiddin alone is doing what more than 800 Wakil Rakyat on both sides of the political divide are doing.
On the other issues that The Vibes talked about, again, there are trying to spin.
First of all, Mahathir already said that all government decisions are Cabinet decisions, and that the Cabinet takes collective responsibility for these decisions. The Prime Minister cannot be singled out, said Mahathir. This was what the Grand Old Man of Malaysia said.
“Muhyiddin was agriculture and agro-based industry minister when he signed the approval letter for this project in 2006,” said The Vibes. Who were the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in 2006?
Is The Vibes saying that Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib Tun Razak were totally unaware of what the Cabinet members were doing back in 2006? We are talking about a huge sum of money. And Shahrizat Abdul Jalil was a Member of Parliament, Cabinet Member and Umno Supreme Council Member when Abdullah was PM and Najib the DPM.
Whose crony was Shahrizat Jalil back in 2006?
Now, that raises the question of whose crony was Shahrizat back in 2006? Was she Muhyiddin’s crony or the crony of someone else more powerful at that time? And who “above” Muhyiddin ordered him to approve that project?
Yes, The Vibes’ report is not complete. Very crucial facts are missing to make it appear like Muhyiddin rather than other forces are behind this fiasco.
The same for the 2011 1BestariNet project that The Vibes talked about. Who was the Prime Minister back in 2011? The Vibes said, “The RM4.47 billion project awarded to a unit of YTL Corp via open tender was supposed to be implemented in three phases over a 15-year period.”
Okay, so it was not a negotiated project. It was awarded to YTL based on open tender. So, has any crime been committed if the proper procedures were followed?
Francis Yeoh is Mahathir’s crony cum proxy
The more important question, though, is whose crony is Francis Yeoh? YTL is alleged to be secretly owned by Mahathir and that Francis Yeoh is Mahathir’s business partner cum proxy. In short, the 1BestariNet project went to Mahathir’s company.
Why does The Vibes not reveal this very important fact? Everyone knows Francis Yeoh is Mahathir’s business partner cum proxy and that YTL partly belongs to Mahathir. And yet The Vibes singles out Muhyiddin for attack while not revealing the hidden hands behind the scene.
Come on! Of course, these projects that The Vibes talks about are disasters. But Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, Francis Yeoh, and all those others, are Mahathir’s business partners cum cronies and their companies are party owned by Mahathir through proxies.
And the Pagoh Higher Education Hub (HPTP) “was approved by the cabinet at its June 24, 2011 meeting,” said The Vibes. Yes, the Cabinet approved it when Najib was Prime Minister. So why crucify Muhyiddin alone? If you want to crucify anyone, then Mahathir, Najib, and a number of others, should also be crucified.
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RM35.4 mil halls not first contentious projects under Muhyiddin’s watch
(The Vibes) – The controversy involving a leaked letter detailing an approved allocation of RM35.4 million to build infrastructure in Pagoh has set tongues wagging over Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s motives.
The recent admission by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) that confirmed the contents of the letter, while clarifying that the allocation is meant for the construction of three halls, has done little to answer the question of why the sum is being spent in the first place.
While PMO under the stewardship of the six-term Pagoh MP may be content with explaining that the RM35.4 million is for the development of three public halls – the Gersik hall in Tangkak (RM13 million), Bukit Pasir community hall in Muar (RM16.66 million) and Bukit Kepong community centre, also in Muar (RM5.77 million) – Muhyiddin’s track record with regard to controversial projects while serving in various cabinet posts since 1995 is now under the spotlight.
Here is a list of such projects that took place under Muhyiddin’s watch:
National Feedlot Centre (NFC)
Muhyiddin was agriculture and agro-based industry minister when he signed the approval letter for this project in 2006.
Under the approval terms, the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) was awarded a RM250 million federal government soft loan for the NFC project, a cattle-rearing venture intended to reduce Malaysia’s reliance on imported beef.
The project was named in the 2010 Auditor-General’s Report over its missed production targets, among other discrepancies.
NFCorp is a private company owned by Agroscience Industries Sdn Bhd, with participation from the government, and headed by chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail, the husband of former Wanita Umno head Tan Sri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
Following an exposé by PKR’s Rafizi Ramli in 2012, NFCorp was embroiled in a scandal that saw Salleh being charged in March that year with two counts of criminal breach of trust involving RM49.7 million in the company’s funds.
NFC, which has since become a white elephant, has been accused of abusing the government soft loan for non-core business activities, primarily in property investment.
Salleh was acquitted in November 2015, following his lawyer’s letter of representation to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
The government’s suit against NFCorp is ongoing at the high court.
Despite admitting to signing the approval letter, Muhyiddin in 2018 said he was unable to recall updates regarding the failed project. He also said funds for the project were not channelled through the ministry following the approval.
Muhyiddin was made to respond to the issue after a slew of criticism against him for approving the project.
His critics included DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang, who said in a 2011 blog post that then deputy prime minister Muhyiddin should bear responsibility for the fiasco. Then Special Affairs Department director-general Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi also demanded that Muhyiddin not remain silent on the NFCorp issue.
1BestariNet
Then education minister Muhyiddin initiated this project in 2011, aimed at providing at least 10,000 government schools with high-speed 4G connectivity and an online learning platform with the Frog Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
The RM4.47 billion project awarded to a unit of YTL Corp via open tender was supposed to be implemented in three phases over a 15-year period.
However, according to a National Audit Department report in 2015, the first phase was executed poorly due to delays in providing internet connection to users’ sites, and steering and technical committees were not established at the ministry level to oversee the project.
It was also learnt that YTL Communications had been paying a far lower rent for its telecommunications tower sites, following an “intervention” by the minister on behalf of the group.
Despite these findings by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) during the Barisan Nasional administration in 2016, prompted by numerous complaints by schools on poor internet connection, the government failed to impose any penalty on the company.
The Pakatan Harapan government decided to terminate the agreement by June 2019, and then education minister Maszlee Malik announced a switch to the Google Classroom platform from Frog VLE.
YTL’s internet service package in the original deal has been replaced with an interim package with three providers, namely Telekom Malaysia Bhd, Celcom Mobile Sdn Bhd and Maxis Broadband Sdn Bhd.
PAC in November last year announced that it will conduct a probe into the project, which cost taxpayers RM2.71 billion between 2011 and 2019.
Pagoh Higher Education Hub (HPTP)
Considered Muhyiddin’s pet project in his constituency, HPTP was approved by the cabinet at its June 24, 2011 meeting, and launched by Muhyiddin, the then deputy prime minister and education minister, on September 15 the same year.
The project’s cost, according to Muhyiddin himself, was expected to be between RM5 billion and RM6 billion, and it would be carried out in several phases.
The development of the first phase under a Johor-implemented private fund initiative would involve four local public institutions of higher learning, namely Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Research Centre, and Politeknik Tun Syed Nasir Syed Ismail.
It was reported that Sime Darby Property Selatan Sdn Bhd was given the right to design the hub according to specifications defined by the government, and to build, set up and maintain the facilities with financing borne by the concessionaire.
The concession agreement involving the development of 404.7ha for the four components of the project, namely polytechnic and shared facilities, UTHM, IIUM and UTM, was signed on November 7, 2012.
Additionally, the hub would be equipped with centralised shared facilities, and a water district cooling system in all buildings.
However, the first series of the 2018 Auditor-General’s Report showed that HPTP was unable to fully operate in order to achieve its intended objective.
“This is due to weaknesses in planning and monitoring at the Education Ministry/Public-Private Partnership Unit level, as well as project implementation by the concessionaire.”
Among the highlighted weaknesses were poor supply of teaching equipment by the concessionaire, inconsistent student intake as per the capacity of the facility, and poor management of the Computerised Maintenance Management System, which is meant handle the registration of the management’s assets, maintenance and complaints by the concessionaire, thus triggering a conflict of interest.
Stamford Holdings Sdn Bhd
The first controversy involving Muhyiddin in his nine-year stint as Johor menteri besar (1986-1995) was when Stamford reportedly applied to the state government in 1984 for permission to develop a parcel of land belonging to the company.
However, the state government led by Muhyiddin only took notice of the application in 1988, when the company alleged that its directors met businessmen Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary and Yahaya Talib, who purportedly introduced themselves as business associates and friends of the then menteri besar.
Various media reports highlighted that Syed Mokhtar and Yahaya created a joint venture (JV) company to develop 714.7ha of the land by late 1989.
Following the set-up, the Syed Mokhtar-led firm took a 30% share, with the rest held by Stamford, after both parties signed the JV agreement.
Based on the deal, the JV reapplied for permission to develop the land, and obtained speedy approval, according to Stamford’s court filing.
The initial venture thrived when the land was successfully developed. However, in 1992, Stamford alleged that Syed Mokhtar, Yahaya and Muhyiddin approached its directors to develop the remaining 2,638.5ha.
In contrast to the first agreement, Syed Mokhtar, Yahaya and Muhyiddin set new terms giving themselves 70% of the JV, which Stamford refused.
Following the refusal, Stamford claimed that it received threats, one being that Muhyiddin allegedly called its directors, saying the land acquisition papers by the state were on his desk, ready to be signed, should they fail to comply.
The warnings were allegedly repeated by interested parties as well.
Despite the alleged threats, Stamford remained adamant, continuing to reject the new terms. By July 1994, the Johor government had acquired the land on behalf of Johor Islamic Economic Development Corporation.
After that, Stamford sued the state government, as well as Syed Mokhtar, Yahaya and Muhyiddin, alleging that they conspired to acquire its land unlawfully.
Stamford won the first round of the civil suit before the Johor Baru High Court struck it out in 1995, stating that the company had no reasonable cause of action against the defendants.
It then took the case to the Court of Appeal. Details of the case were published around the same time in Asiaweek, whose report pointed to Muhyiddin’s threat to Stamford directors. The publication also claimed to be in possession of a recording of the phone call.
Despite publicly denying the report, Muhyiddin did not take legal action against Asiaweek.
The Court of Appeal in 1997 overruled the Johor Baru High Court’s decision, allowing the civil suit to proceed, subject to an appeal by the defence.
As the case reached the Federal Court by 1998, all parties agreed to settle the dispute out of court, with a final sum of RM400 million agreed as compensation to Stamford.
Muhyiddin has repeatedly denied his involvement in the scandal, and there were no further investigations launched against him on the issue.
Given that these projects under Muhyiddin’s watch have resulted in huge losses of taxpayer monies, the latest plan to build the three halls should be further scrutinised in the interest of the people.
