The police and Anti-Corruption Agency should investigate the abuse of power alleged by a former minister and a veteran news editor in their recent bickering over a mismanaged government fund, an opposition leader said today.

DAP national chairperson Lim Kit Siang said the authorities should at least explain why they are not probing the allegations made by the pair.

"The issues disclosed in the war of words between (former rural development minister) Annuar Musa and (New Straits Times Press Group editor-in-chief) Abdullah Ahmad cannot be swept under the carpet," he said in a statement.

"The issues concern not just both of them but public interests as well as transparency of government leaders," added Lim.

Recently, Rural Development Minister and Umno supreme council member Azmi Khalid lodged a police report on the mismanagement of the RM40 million Hardcore Poor Development Fund.

Annuar and Abdullah have since been locked in a heated debate over the siphoning of some RM20 million which was set up to help the poor in Kelantan.

On Nov 11, Abdullah in his weekly column in Utusan Malaysia , wrote that the mismanagement was an issue which caused the defeat of the ruling Barisan Nasional in Kelantan and Terengganu in the 1999 general elections.

The following day, Berita Harian , which is published by NSTP, reported on its front-page that "an election candidate had misused half of the fund".

Annuar was the rural development minister and a member of Parliament in Kelantan from 1995 to 1999 before he was defeated by a candidate from Keadilan in the last general elections.

He subsequently lost his Cabinet post but remains an Umno supreme council member.

Annuar, however, defended himself against Abdullah's allegation which obviously implicated him in the scandal.

'Anwar man'

In retaliation to the two articles, Annuar said he had previously helped Abdullah by seeking support from Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the then deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim to appoint Abdullah as the special envoy to the United Nations.

The former minister also related the story of how Abdullah nominated Anwar as a contender for the Umno deputy presidency in 1993 as part of an attempt to become an 'Anwar man'.

He added that Abdullah was rumoured to be among those who received lucrative rewards from Anwar.

However, Anwar, who is currently serving a 15-year-jail term for corruption and sodomy, refuted the allegations yesterday, saying he has been unfairly dragged into the controversy.

Today, Lim said DAP will study the abuse of power and malpractice highlighted by both Annuar and Abdullah.

He noted that Annuar may be attempting to reconcile with Abdullah as the former minister told Mingguan Malaysia last week that he did not intend to prolong the battle and would prefer to meet Abdullah for "private discussion".

Lim also urged the police to expedite their investigations on the misappropriation of the Hardcore Poor Development Fund.

"There has been such a long delay in completing their investigations although the offences were committed as far back in 1998 and 1999," he said.

Police have classified the matter under Section 420 of the Penal Code as "cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property".

Upon conviction, a person can be fined and jailed up to 10 years. So far police have questioned Annuar and several ministry officials.