PKR will embark on a road tour of major military camps from tomorrow to explain the Boustead-Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) controversy to military personnel.

NONE "We will hold our ceramahs as close to the camps as possible," said its director of strategy Rafizi Ramli ( left ), explaining that party members may face difficulty getting into the camps.

However, he said that PKR-friendly military veterans in NGO Pahlawan have networks with military personnel in and around the army camps.

The maiden stop will be at the Wardieburn Army Camp in Setiawangsa, before moving on to the naval base in Lumut, the Sg Besi army camp, Port Dickson navy base and the Royal Malaysian Air Force bases in Kuantan and Butterworth.

The aim is to explain to military personnel how their monthly contribution to LTAT is allegedly being misused via Boustead Holdings Bhd to buy out businessperson Deepak Jaikishan and pay off Selangor Wanita Umno chief Raja Ropiaah Raja Abdullah.

'Explanation will backfire'

Rafizi also refuted Defence Minister Abdul Zahid Hamidi’s statement yesterday that contributions from military personnel and veterans to LTAT have not been used for what is a “purely commercial” deal.

“This is a very sensitive thing to military personnel. Please keep telling army servicemen that LTAT has nothing to do with Boustead Holdings Bhd and that their money is not involved in the deal.”

However, the minister’s insistence, will only ensure Pakatan Rakyat’s win in the next polls, said Rafizi, because riled-up veterans and other military personnel will show their displeasure through the ballot.

Rafizi noted that monthly deductions are made from the pay of army personnel as a contribution to LTAT.

Such contributions, channeled through LTAT, make up the financial muscle of Boustead which is 60 percent owned by the military trust, he claimed.

He also pointed out that Boustead is not a 'purely commercial' company as it continues to receive favours from the government in the form of directly negotiated defence contracts, and by way of the billions of ringgit and lands ceded to it for development.

The preferential treatment is to ensure that it makes profits out of the LTAT investments in the company, he added.

On Zahid's threats to sue anyone who continues to make allegations over the issue and challenges them to lodge a report with authorities, Rafizi said that he is unafraid as they have proof and said that a report is already being filed with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission this very morning.

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