Kelantan Umno Liaison Committee chairperson Mustapa Mohamed today expressed sadness and disappointment over accusations that he was a traitor to his native state because of his stand on the oil royalty issue.

mustapa mohamed If he were a traitor as claimed by his detractors, he would not have approved millions of ringgit for the implementation of projects in PAS-led Kelantan while serving as a Cabinet minister at seven ministries since 1996, he was reported as saying by Bernama .

Mustapa, who is International Trade and Industry Minister, was spoke to

reporters after addressing the monthly gathering of staff of federal

departments, in Kota Baharu, Kelantan.

At the function, he presented a cheque for RM800,000 to the Kelantan Islamic Religious Affairs and Malay Customs Council to pay the allowances of imams and mosque staff in the state.

Kelantan not neglected

He said the federal government had never neglected Kelantan though it had been administered by PAS for the last 20 years, adding that its development allocation exceeded the revenue collected.

For the whole of last year, the federal government collected RM300 million in revenue from the state but spent RM4 billion, or 12 times more, on development projects, he said.

Mustapa said the first phase of his duty to help the people of Kelantan

benefit from the compassionate fund had been completed and that he would now focus on utilising the fund from next month.

NONE "The question of oil royalty for the state government does not arise any more. The people will benefit from the compassionate fund," he said.

He also said that he did not agree with the attempts to circulate poison-pen letters, even in schools, against Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah who had spoken for the state government on the question of oil royalty.

"There are bound to be differences of opinion among leaders and these can be resolved through discussion and debate on facts.

"The government's move to publish advertisements in the mainstream (Malay) newspapers on the oil royalty is seen by Umno as the best way to explain the issue to the people," he said. 

K'tanese entrepreneurs not deprived of loans

At a separate function, Mustapa was also reported as saying that entrepreneurs in Kelantan have never been deprived of the business loans given to entrepreneurs in the other states.

This was evident from the fact that Kelantan held the record for the most number of loans among the states, he said.

"The government provided RM1.4 billion for 194,687 loans to entrepreneurs under the Tekun Nasional entrepreneur economic fund nationwide since 1999.

"Tekun Nasional provided almost RM200,000 for 21,035 loans to entrepreneurs in Kelantan during that period, the highest sum among the states," he said when opening the Kelantan Tekun Nasional office and business centre in Kota Baharu.

Mustapa said the business centre was the fifth of nine centres set up in Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor, Perak, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak.

"Since it was established in 1998, Tekun Nasional has assisted more than 150,000 Malay and bumiputera entrepreneurs in the country.

"The aid has enabled many Malay and bumiputera entrepreneurs to become successful businessmen, progressing from small traders to small-and-medium scale businessmen," he said.

Mustapa also said that a special book on the success of Tekun Nasional entrepreneurs should published to motivate other bumiputera entrepreneurs to succeed in business.    

Tekun Nasional managing director and chief executive officer Abdul

Rahim Hassan said in his speech that Kelantan held the best record for loan repayments to Tekun Nasional among the states.