'Probe Muhyiddin's role in approving NFC loan'

The DAP has demanded a  royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to investigate whether one-time Agriculture Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had played a role in approving the RM250 million government soft loan to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC).

Ipoh Timor MP Lim Kit Siang said the NFC’s statement to the media today raises more questions than answers.

“The NFC has given two powerful reasons why there should be a RCI into the ‘cattle condo’ scandal, focusing on the role and responsibility of Muhyiddin who was then agriculture minister, who approved the RM250 million loan before the March 8, 2008 political tsunami,” said Lim.

NFC has claimed that its contract for the loan had been signed in 2007, disputing the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) finding that part of the sum had been released before the contract was signed in 2009.

The company also claimed that the loan deal between the government, represented by the Finance Ministry, and NFC was signed on Dec 6, 2007, and not in 2010 and that the first drawdown of RM7 million was in January 2008 “in compliance with proper procedure”.

NFC further claimed that it would start “serving its loan repayment as stipulated in its loan agreement”.

‘Check out horror stories’

The statement, said Lim, has confirmed that the decisive events of the ‘cattle condo’ scandal, had all taken place when the minister responsible was none other than Muhyiddin.

These include the award of the NFC project on Oct 27, 2006, the signing of the RM250 million loan agreement with two percent interest on Dec 6, 2007, and the first drawdown in January 2008

“It provides powerful reason why there should be a RCI into all the ‘horror stories’ of the ... scandal but also to focus on the role and responsibility of Muhyiddin (right) as the cabinet minister who should personally and directly be responsible for the scandal,” he said.

Lim said the RCI, if formed, should answer who else apart from Muhyiddin, now the deputy premier, should bear the full and final responsibility for the NFC ‘mess’.

The NFC statement today, said Lim reminds Malaysians that the PAC has been acting in a most unusual manner in failing to pursue an investigation.

“Malaysians are entitled to know why the PAC is behaving in so tardy a fashion, giving the impression that it is avoiding coming to grips with the issue. Can PAC submit its report on the NFC scandal to Parliament by March 12,” he asked.