VAIN MUHYIDDIN FALLS VICTIM TO HIS OWN EGO – ANWAR NOW COUNTERSUES FOR RM200 MIL FOR DAMAGING HIS REPUTATION – ‘INCOMPETENT’ MUHYIDDIN SHOULD KNOW HE ONLY PROMISED TO WAIVE FELDA DEBT OF RM8.3 BIL BUT NEVER SIGNED OFF ON IT – ‘THIS MEANT THE FELDA DEBT WAS NOT PAID BY THE FEDERAL GOVT UNTIL JUNE 26, 2023, WHEN IT WAS SIGNED BY ANWAR’
Felda debt waiver issue: PM Anwar demands RM200 million from Muhyiddin for damaging his reputation.
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has demanded RM200 million in compensation from Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for damaging his reputation over the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) settlers’ debt waiver issue.
The PKR president via his counsel S. N. Nair said this through his reply to Muhyiddin’s letter of demand today.
Anwar also demands an unconditional and unequivocal apology from the former prime minister which must be published in the newspapers.
The Tambun member of parliament gave his predecessor a 24-hour ultimatum for the latter to abide by all of his demands.
“I hereby attached part of the Assignment for Financial Service Reserve Account (FSRA) agreement in regards to the government guarantee for the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) that I have signed.
“Hence, I demand that Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin apologise for the slander thrown against me,” he said in a statement.
Muhyiddin, however, reiterated that the “proof” released by Anwar is not a debt waiver agreement for Felda settlers and instead claimed that it is an agreement on government-backed sukuk.
Muhyiddin said he would proceed to file a defamation suit against Anwar after the latter had failed to submit an unconditional and open apology as requested.
He said the Finance Ministry’s media release today also confirmed that Anwar signed off a government guarantee of RM9.9 billion and not the settlement for Felda settlers’ debt of RM8.3 billion as he had done it while he was in power in 2021.
Muhyiddin insisted he had been responsible for executing the decision in 2021, and accused Anwar of lying to claim credit.
Anwar responded by saying Muhyiddin’s administration had only agreed to the debt waiver, but never followed through with it, which was why he could still do it now in 2023. Anwar released documents to prove that he was the one who had signed a debt waiver scheme for Felda settlers.
The Finance Ministry, in a statement, confirmed that Anwar had signed the agreement on June 26.
“As per the announcement in a media statement issued by the ministry on June 28, the agreement involves a government guarantee totalling RM9.9 billion for Felda via the issuance of sukuk and revolving credit for it to recover financially,” said the ministry. NST
Muhyiddin agreed to waive Felda settlers debt, but Anwar signed off on it, says Fahmi
PETALING JAYA: In a continuation of the Felda debt saga, Fahmi Fadzil says that former premier Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin agreed to waive the debt but it was Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who actually signed it off.
“In 2021, the then-prime minister promised to waive the Felda debt of RM8.3bil. The debt was waived by Felda and not by the Federal government, Fahmi said In a Facebook reel on Thursday (July 20),.
“On June 26 this year, (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim signed the Financial Service Reserve Account (FSRA) which includes financial aid of RM9.9bil to Felda over a span of 10 years,” he said.
He added that this meant that the Felda debt was not paid by the Federal Government until June 26, 2023, when it was signed by Anwar.
The past few days have seen Anwar and Muhyiddin engaged in a spat over who actually waived the Felda debt of RM8.3bil. ANN
‘Incompetent’ Anwar doesn’t know what he signs – Muhyiddin
As no apology is forthcoming from Anwar, the former prime minister said he has also instructed his lawyers to proceed with the defamation suit against him.
“The sukuk (Islamic bonds) document revealed today shows Anwar does not understand the contents of the documents he signs as finance minister.
“This is dangerous. Who knows what other documents or agreements he has signed in his capacity as prime minister and finance minister where he does not know or understand the contents?
“Clearly, Anwar is incompetent to remain as prime minister. The longer Malaysia is administered by Anwar’s ‘Madanon’ government, the greater the harm to the rakyat,” he said in a statement today, in an apparent jibe against Anwar’s ‘Madani’ slogan.
Earlier this month, Anwar had claimed that an initiative under Muhyiddin’s administration to forgive Felda settlers’ debts in 2021 never materialised, as there was no allocation in the 2021 and 2022 federal budgets to waive the RM8.3 billion in debt.
“Only in the Madani budget for 2023, I provided an early allocation of RM990 million to waive Felda settlers’ debts of RM8.3 billion,” he said, adding that he has signed off on the relevant document in late June.
Muhyiddin denied Anwar’s claims and challenged him to reveal the document he purportedly signed in June. He also demanded an apology, failing which he will sue Anwar for allegedly defaming him.
‘Sukuk, not waiver’
Earlier today, Anwar released an assignment for Financial Service Reserve Account (FSRA) providing Felda with a government guarantee, as well as a sukuk issuance order.
In a separate statement, the Finance Ministry reiterated that the agreement was to give an RM9.9 billion government guarantee to Felda to restructure its debts through sukuk issuances and credit rounds.
It said the government would finance the buyback of the sukuk through the issuance of RM990 million in grants each year for 10 years.
The ministry added that the first issuance was done on July 18 – as per the document furnished today.
In June, the ministry is reported to have said that the government guarantee is a major part of restructuring Felda’s loans, which reduces its interest payments and enables it to cancel 80 percent of the RM8.3 billion settlers’ debt implemented in 2021, the ministry said.
However, Muhyiddin said the document released today shows he was telling the truth and it was Anwar who had lied and slandered him.
“The document he put forward is not about waiving Felda settlers’ loans. It is about sukuk.
“I have explained time and time again that the document Anwar signed is about sukuk and not forgiving Felda settlers’ debt,” he said. MKINI
NST / ANN / MKINI
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