AGRICULTURE and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the management of a venue in Selangor had never confirmed the booking for an event featuring Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Noor.
This is despite Sanusi’s claim that the approval for the “buka puasa” event at the Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang (MAEPS) on April 9 has been revoked by Mohamad’s ministry.
“It’s strange that the Kedah Menteri Besar said the hall rental had been revoked by the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry when in fact the MAEPS hall management has yet to issue any letter of acceptance, nor has a quotation been issued,” said Mohamad, who is better known as Mat Sabu on Facebook last night.
To back his claim, the minister also shared a screenshot showing a message that said Mardicorp was still preparing a quotation for the hall booking, and had yet to send any quotation or letter of acceptance to the organiser. The identity of the sender was not revealed.
MardiCorp is a government-linked company that controls MAEPS. It is under the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), which is in turn an agency under Mohamad’s ministry.
“Furthermore, how could the MB make the programme poster viral before the venue has been confirmed? Usually, the poster is only shared when the venue [of the event] has been confirmed,” Mohamad clarified.
“For [Sanusi’s] information, there are no issues with the ‘Anak Terengganu’ event at MAEPS and it will be held as scheduled, but as you mentioned the event will be held elsewhere, I guess [the plan to hold the event at MAEPS] is not happening.”
Mohamad ended his post with a cheeky jibe at Sanusi, telling the Menteri Besar, “If tak pasti, please don’t kongsi” (If not sure, please do not share).
On Wednesday (March 29) Sanusi claimed that he was banned from taking part in events organised by the federal government, including the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) in May.
He also claimed the decision was made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Cabinet, although he did not elaborate.
While the Prime Minister’s Office has not responded to requests for comment on Sanusi’s claim, communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil expressed surprise over the PAS leader’s claim.
When asked about Sanusi’s claim that the federal government had made a decision not to invite him to such events, Fahmi said he was unsure what the Menteri Besar meant, and maintained that the unity government was willing to work with all parties to serve the people. – March 31, 2023
