ALOR STAR: Caretaker Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has hit back at critics who tried to link him to rare earth mineral theft in Kedah for signing a letter of support for professional workers from China three years ago.
Sanusi, who is also Perikatan Nasional election director, reiterated that he had merely signed the support letter to facilitate the entrance of the foreign workers but the approval was by the Home Ministry.
"I have explained this recently that in extracting the rare earth elements, there was a joint venture between MBI (Menteri Besar Incorporated) and Prospek Suria Sdn Bhd, which was formed before I was appointed as the Menteri Besar.
"After the joint venture company obtained a licence for exploration, they needed to bring in experts. Since it was during the Covid-19 pandemic, nobody was allowed to enter the country because we had shut down our borders and China also closed theirs.
"Hence, to bring in the experts, the company required a support letter, it was just an administrative process.
"The support letter was addressed to the Home Ministry and it was the ministry that decided on the application, not by me.
"How signing the letter makes me a thief. How come it went that far?
"This is a malicious complot being played up by the top leadership in the country to frame certain parties in Kedah," claimed Sanusi.
He added that the actions against the culprit behind the rare earth mineral theft had already been taken.
"The process has been concluded. The person responsible had been compounded. Suddenly, he raised questions why certain persons were granted a visa.
"Why is he asking us now? It was approved by his ministry. Then it (the letter) went viral alleging that there was a support letter by the MB to bring the workers from China," he said in reference to Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail's recent statement calling for Sanusi to explain on the status of workers from China that were brought in to work on the rare earth elements exploration in the Sik district.
"I think they should stop at that because many people are aware. I am informed that various agencies have entered all the offices to uncover many things.
"I think this is the focus of the Madani government, to find fault although the compounds have been issued. All the processes were handled by government agencies, not me.
"However, now there are attempts to link the activity to me in particular.
"They really want to get at me, finding fault to paint a picture that I am a bad person," claimed Sanusi.