The minister of women, family and community development told reporters that her family, who runs the national cattle-farming project, “don’t deserve the things said by the Opposition because they work very hard.”
“This is a political agenda by the Opposition to weaken Wanita Umno. But we are not that easily destroyed.
“I am ashamed that there is a Malaysian woman like the Wanita PKR chief,” the senator said, referring to Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin who had claimed that the NFC had failed despite being given a soft loan of RM250 million and a 5,000-acre plot of land.
PKR also alleged yesterday that over RM84 million was siphoned off from NFC to companies controlled by Shahrizat’s husband, Datuk Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail, and her children, Izran Mohamad Salleh and Izmir Mohamad Salleh.
The Auditor-General’s Report released last month had criticised the NFC, pointing out that it was now “in a mess”.
The report said production in 2010 was only 3,289 head of cattle or 41.1 per cent of the target set.
But Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Datuk Seri Noh Omar said on October 31 that the project is a success and had met its targets “as the total number of cattle brought into the farm was 8,016 between 2008 and 2010.”
He has also said that half of a RM13 million grant and RM115 million of the soft loan, to be repaid at a two per cent interest rate over 17 years, has not been disbursed to NFC.
“The minister has answered at length and clearly. I am happy that the ministry will continue to monitor the success of this project,” Shahrizat said today.
