KAJANG: Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) betrayed the Malay and Muslim communities by failing to rein in corruption while they were in power, said Pakatan Harapan (PH) vice-president Datuk Seri Mohamad Azmin Ali.
The PKR deputy-president, who is also the Economic Affairs Minister, cited the alleged graft cases at Felda and Tabung Haji to support his denunciation of Umno and BN.
Azmin said that in contrast, PH upholds the efforts of Malaysia’s second prime minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, who set up Felda and made government land available to Malays, thus empowering and elevating them.
“Then came his son (Datuk Seri Najib Razak). He went on to privatise Felda.
“If the late Tun Abdul Razak could rise (from the dead), he would strangle his son,” he said during a ceramah at Kampung Rinching Hilir here, last night.
Present were PH deputy chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) information chief Dr Mohd Radzi Md Jidin and PH’s candidate for the Semenyih by-election, Muhamad Aiman Zailani.
Azmin said that Felda is now in such bad shape that the federal government had to borrow RM77 million to address the agency’s critical cash flow issues in December last year.
“We may have to borrow money (again) for Felda,” he added.
Azmin also spoke of his time as Selangor Menteri Besar, during which PH empowered the Malays and Islam without neglecting the rights of people of other races and religions.
“Every year, I would prepare an allocation of RM400 million for the State Islamic Religious Department to carry out efforts to empower Islam by building mosques and suraus, as well as maahad, apart from conducting religious programmes,” he said.
Azmin also pointed out the fact that Selangor’s contribution of 23 per cent of the country’s growth domestic product speaks volumes of the capabilities of PH leaders.
Earlier, Azmin told the crowd that Felda had a healthy cash flow without any debts before Najib became the prime minister.
“Then PH won the 14th general election.
“We were shocked by the bad shape of Felda's financial position.
“(The agency went) from having no debts and a healthy cash flow, to accumulating RM8 billion in debts and not having a single cent,” he said.