NFC Distractions – Re-tender Whitewash

As if shifting the public focus of NFC to the court is not enough, Noh Omar announced that they will re-tender the project. This is a serious case of shadow play here.

We already commented that Mohammad Salleh, Shahrizat’s husband, will be acquitted as there is really no case. This was done to appease the public outcry as well as the rumblings within Umno. It is a gem of a strategy to shut up the Opposition.

However, even with Shahrizat ending her cabinet post, she remained adamant to retain her Umno Wanita chief post and that struck a major chord of disdain with her Deputy and ex-Wanita Chief Rafidah. Najib managed to keep the internal conflict under wraps and declared that Wanita Chief Shahrizat will lead them into the GE13. Nevertheless, the emotions are still boiling underneath that facade.

To take it a step further, Noh Omar announced to re-tender the NFC Project which now appears as the most foolish step taken thus far. It smacks the faces of Muhyiddin who said the project was successful. It spits into the faces of Malaysians thinking that this solves the NFC fiasco.

The truth is that it doesn’t at all.

This is a feeble attempt to further distract and pull wool over the eyes of the public. This time, the public knows all too well that the attempt smells like a cover up.

NFCorp CBT: No Case

On March 12, Salleh Ismail was charged for Criminal Breach of Trust and violating the Companies Act on 3 counts relating to RM49 million. He pleaded not guilty. (read here.)

We have all been following closely to the NFC debacle and how the Opposition Parties, particularly the PKR has played this to the maximum possible. PKR has slowly revealed piece by piece all the dirty laundry related to NFC ever since the Auditor General Report 2010 was tabled in Parliament last October.

Umno on the other hand has been put on the back foot trying to shield the party yet giving all the leeway for Shahrizat to melt into the background. Because this debacle has to do with the raising of cows, the Opposition Parties have been very successful to relate to the various communities across the country on the magnitude of corruption alleged and the people are agreeing as well. This does not augur well for Umno and BN and finally it is curtains down for Shahrizat come 8 April when her senator term expires. Yes, she is not resigning, just expiring and not renewed.

Now with her husband charged in court for CBT, it appears that the BN Government finally came to their senses albeit late. Umno will not want Shahrizat and the NFC debacle to remain its Archilles’ heel. Umno has been stumbling all over itself since the beginning and this latest episode should nail the noise shut.

However, the reality may show that this action is too little, too late. It may very well be a shadow play or wayang kulit that will end up having Salleh acquitted instead. And the reasons may be quite simple.

Shahrizat Cabinet Post – Not A Resignation

It was widely reported that Sharizat was resigning from their Cabinet post on April 8. Then came reports that she didn’t submit her resignation letter. To too it off, PM Najib applauded her saying she sacrificed herself for the party.

This was what she was reported to have said.

“On April 8, when my term as senator ends, I will step down as… minister,”

The reality is that this is a play of words. Najib and Sharizat must have had an understanding that she step aside gracefully while helping Umno dodge the NFC bullets.

The facts of NFC debacle

The National Feedlot Centre (NFC) and the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) have been confusing the public a lot. In many cases, it has been used interchangeably but they are actually two separate entities. In actual fact, based on the AG Report 2010, the two have no legal agreement with each other at all. This is a highly engineered piece of work by those involved. Here is the attempt to clear some of the fog covering the so-called debacle and is based on the AG Report 2010

Ibrahim, NFC and All Gone Wrong!

The Malaysian Insider reported yesterday that NFCorp Chairman Mohd Salleh Ismail met with Perkasa and 15 other NGOs to brief them on the NFC situation (read here). Immediately after that, Ibrahim Ali gave a statement that “the office of the Auditor-General had already agreed in private that the company’s affairs were in order“. He further made startling remarks that stabbed the AG in his back insinuating that the AG made a mistake in his 2010 Report regarding the “mess” in NFCorp and that he should “release an official statement.”

A Lot of Cock and Bull These Days’

What is happening to Malaysia these days? The Auditor General reported that the National FeedLot Centre (NFC) project is in a mess. NFC was set up to reduce our dependence of importing beef by 40% and the noble goal of growing our national ability to execute the business of raising meaty cows (and bulls) is admirable.

The Government claims the project was a success supposedly in raising 3,289 heads against a target of 8,000. Since when is spending all the money but making less than 50% of your target a success?

Then there was a soft loan of RM250m to assist NFC and the Khairy explanation of a “like escrow but not escrow account” method of disbursement. NFC states the RM250m in their books but the Government says only RM181m has so far been disbursed. Someone is surely lying but proper accounting doesn’t lie.

Worse still is the revelation that about RM10m was spent on a high-end luxury condominium in Bangsar. And Khairy provided the cock story that it was for good investment. To raise bulls in luxury? Is the the Malaysian version of wagyu beef?