KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin took to Facebook today to criticise Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim over the latter's recent statement regarding the unresolved debt of Felda settlers.
Muhyiddin said: "Anwar has accused me of not resolving the Felda settlers' debt issue. This is a big lie.
"The resolution of Felda settlers' debt was implemented during my tenure as prime minister, and this was confirmed by the minister in the Prime Minister's Department in a parliamentary response on Feb 23, who stated that the resolution of Felda settlers' debt was carried out in 2021.
However, Muhyiddin acknowledged that the continuous implementation of the debt resolution faced obstacles due to Felda's cash flow constraints under the unity government.
During Muhyiddin's tenure in 2021, the government announced that it would dispose of a portion of the RM8.3 billion in settlers' loans to relaunch Felda.
The government under his administration approved the issuance of RM9.9 billion in the form of sukuk by Felda under its recovery plans.
However, the current government on Feb 23 announced it was unable to continue to waive the Felda settlers' loans as doing so would significantly impact Felda's cash flow.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said had stated that the collection of remaining debts or loans that have been issued up until now needed to continue as a source of income for the survival of the organisation and the welfare of the settlers.
Muhyiddin highlighted in his Facebook post that former Felda chairman Idris Jusoh issued a statement on Feb 24, confirming that in 2021, RM8.3 billion of Felda settlers' total debt of RM12.1 billion was waived, impacting Felda's cash flow substantially.