A FORMER aide of Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has revealed that the document put forward by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim this morning (July 20) is not the agreement to waive the RM8.3 bil debt for Felda settlers.
In a Facebook post earlier today (July 20), Muhyiddin’s former principal private secretary Datuk Dr Marzuki Mohamad said the document released to the media by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is an agreement on the issuance of government-guaranteed sukuk and not an 80% debt waiver of the Felda settlers.
The PMO released the document earlier in the day as proof that Anwar was the one who signed the waiver of the Felda settlers’ debts and that it was not done by Muhyiddin during his premiership.
“At first glance, I already know the document is not the debt waiver agreement for Felda settlers but the agreement on the issuance of government-guaranteed sukuk,” Marzuki pointed out.
“On Oct 14, 2020 when Muhyiddin was prime minister, the Cabinet approved a Felda Recovery Plan, in which there is the waiving of 80% of the RM8.3 bil debt of the Felda settlers, an issuance of the RM9.9 bil sukuk in phases to take over FGV (Holdings Bhd) and the settlement of the Felda debts with Maybank and the Employees Provident Fund, and the annual grant of the RM990 mil to Felda by the federal government.
“The document released by the PMO does not prove that the debt waiver of the settlers was made only last June. This is about the issuance of government-guaranteed sukuk which was part of the Cabinet decision back in 2020.
“Anyone who is finance minister (at the time of issuance) has to sign this document. As far as I remember, Muhyiddin was not finance minister (then).”
Marzuki also stated that the disclosure of this document confirmed his theory that the documents signed by the present Prime Minister cum Finance Minister are not about the debt waiver of the Felda settlers, but on the sukuk.
“To further avoid doubts on the Cabinet decision on Oct 14, 2020, which waived the Felda settlers’ debts, it is better that the government declassify the minutes of the meeting for the public to see,” he asserted.
Yesterday (July 19) Muhyiddin demanded an open and unconditional written apology from Anwar following the latter’s claim that the initiative to restructure and forgive Felda’s debt under Muhyiddin’s administration was promised but never materialised.
The Pagoh MP had dismissed Anwar’s claims as a lie, citing a parliamentary reply from Law and Institutional Reform Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said on Feb 23 that the waiver was carried out in 2021, though the present government is unable to continue what he started due to cash flow problems.
Despite Muhyiddin’s denial, Anwar doubled down on his claim the following day, saying that there was no allocation in the 2021 and 2022 federal budgets to waive the RM8.3 bil in debt.
This prompted Muhyiddin to issue a letter of demand dated July 18 to Anwar through the former’s solicitors Messrs Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership.
The letter demanded that Anwar, within 24 hours of receiving the letter, furnish signed documentations that the latter, as Finance Minister, had at the end of June signed a debt waiver scheme for the Felda settlers.
In response to this, Anwar told the media last night (July 19) after attending the Tanjong Karang Unity Maal Hijrah 1445H celebration that he will release proof that he had signed a debt waiver scheme for Felda settlers.
“I can show them, there is no need to wait 24 hours, I can do it in 12 hours. I did sign it on June 27. As to why he (Muhyiddin) did not do the work, I do not know,” he was reported as saying.
“You (Muhyiddin) challenge (me) like this… fair enough, I will furnish proof that I had signed (the debt waiver of RM990 mil), (and) he has to apologise.” – July 20, 2023
Main pic credit: Facebook/Marzuki Mohamad
