Faizal: DAP finance minister again if Harapan wins?

Will the country get a finance minister from DAP again if Pakatan Harapan wins the 15th general election (GE15), Bersatu deputy president Ahmad Faizal Azumu has questioned.

This followed an allegation by his party colleague, Bersatu supreme council member Azmin Ali, that Harapan finance minister Lim Guan Eng cut allocations for Malay/bumiputera interests without explanation.

“Why are Harapan and its chairperson Anwar Ibrahim being silent on matters pertaining to the economic interests of the bumiputera?

“Where is the transparency often mentioned by Harapan?” Faizal asked in a statement today.

The incumbent Tambun MP who is set to face Anwar at the parliamentary constituency in GE15, further called Azmin’s claims “extremely shocking and worrying.”

Azmin, who was the economic affairs minister during Harapan’s federal administration, said the government at the time stopped a RM400 million allocation for the Bumiputera Agenda Steering Unit (Teraju).

Azmin was quoted by the New Straits Times as saying that the same happened to Felda and Ekuiti Nasional Bhd (Ekuinas).

In a speech during a Perikatan Nasional (PN) event in Selangor on Saturday, Azmin said he protested against these decisions to then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The PN information chief said he sent a letter to Mahathir before the Sheraton Move took place which toppled the Harapan administration.

Questions for Anwar

Elaborating, Faizal put forward four questions to Anwar, as the prime ministerial candidate for Harapan.

“If appointed prime minister, will Anwar guarantee that the economic rights of the Malays and bumiputera are taken care of, given that DAP is the dominant party in Harapan?

“Has Anwar ever voiced protests in the Harapan presidential council against actions that prejudiced the bumiputera’s economic standing, by DAP’s finance minister, as mentioned above?” he asked.

Faizal further questioned whether a leader from DAP will again be appointed finance minister, should Harapan win GE15.

Fourthly, Faizal asked for Lim’s and Harapan’s justification for allegedly blocking allocations for the Malays and bumiputera, as Azmin claimed.

“Till now, no one from Harapan, not Lim nor Anwar, has responded to Azmin’s revelation. The rakyat deserves to know.

“Anwar and Harapan should not keep silent on the matter,” Faizal added.

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