It is irresponsible for Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil's family to question the semantics employed by the auditor-general, said Ipoh Timor MP Lim Kit Siang.

According to the DAP supremo, this shows they are trying to shirk accountability for the National Feedlot Centre fiasco.

Lim said in a statement that auditor-general Ambrin Buang did not make any mistake in his 2011 federal accounts report.

"I am not aware that he had made any such admission in any subsequent statement," he said.

NONE "National Feedlot Corporation chairperson Mohamad Salleh Ismail ( left ) deserves public censure for his attempt at semantics to avoid accountability and responsibility when the RM336.64 million NFC scandal cries out for full disclosure and investigation, as the whole NFC/NFCorp scandal stinks, and is not just a ‘mess' (which the AG did not say) but a ‘terrible mess' (which the AG should have said)."

On Wednesday, Ambrin in a statement said the word "mess" was never used by the department to describe the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp), but that the objectives of the Feedlot Centre project were unfulfilled.

Ambrin said the words ‘kucar-kacir' (chaotic), ‘in a mess' and ‘misappropriation' were "used by other quarters and the Audit Department should not be attributed".

"It is our view that any misappropriation is to be investigated by the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission," said the auditor-general.

From an "audit perspective, there were several weaknesses in the implementation of the project", he added.

Lim said it is most deplorable and irresponsible that after three months of continuous adverse publicity, Shahrizat's family was still trying to shirk accountability along with her husband Salleh, in claiming that the AG had confused NFCorp, a private entity, with the centre which is owned by the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry.

Three elements in NFC scandal

The DAP stalwart said the NFC or NFCorp scandal comprised three elements:

  • RM73.64 million from the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry under the Ninth Malaysia Plan for NFC's development and operational costs;
  • Another RM13 million as start-up grant approved to NFCorp in September 2007, to provide infrastructure such as cattle pens and farm roads; and
  • Another RM250 million soft loan, approved to NFCorp via an agreement signed in December, 2007.
Lim questioned whether Salleh is claiming that his company, NFCorp, owes no public accountability and responsibility for any misuse of public funds given to NFCorp as soft loan at two percent interests to promote greater beef self-sufficiency in the country; in buying two units of luxury condominiums in Bangsar and another in Singapore, as well as to buy land in Precinct 10, Putrajaya.

pakatan convention alor setar lim kit siang "This does not include the close to a million ringgit expenditures on overseas trips.

"With the claim that the AG had confused the two entities, NFC and NFCorp, Malaysians want to know whether the freezing of assets announced by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak earlier this month was with regard to NFC or NFCorp, or both.

"Who can give this clarification?" he asked.

Yesterday NFCorp executive director Wan Shahinur Izmir Salleh, who is Shahrizat's son, said the use of the term "in a mess" in press reports has created "perceptual confusion" and was "mischievous".

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Auditor-general, why the clarification now?