‘Guilty by association’

PETALING JAYA: Embattled Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil must resign from all posts in the party and government.

While he sympathised with her, Umno disciplinary committee deputy chief Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas (pic) said he agreed with Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz’s statement that “tainted” leaders must leave for the betterment of the party.

“Unfortunately, she is guilty by association. That’s the way it is in politics, especially when the person is your husband. How many husbands tell their wives everything?,” he said.

“She is an old friend of mine but I tend to agree with Rafi dah. I think she should resign.

“(This is) not to say that she is guilty of anything.”

Megat Najmuddin spoke to The Malay Mail, which front paged Rafidah’s remarks yesterday.

In a thinly-veiled reference to her successor, the former Wanita Umno chief had said: “If your toe has gangrene, you don’t chop off the whole leg, you just amputate the toe!”

However, Megat Najmuddin said a resignation would not spell out Shahrizat’s guilt in the controversy.

He explained it would be hard for Shahrizat to fulfi ll her duties as the women, family and community development minister if she continued to be plagued by allegations against the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC).

“Poor thing, but that’s the way it is. That is politics because, otherwise, people will associate you with the socalled and perceived wrongdoings of NFC,” he said.

“She is innocent because she has got nothing to do with the approval of the project and the funding.

All was done by diff erent ministries. I think he (Shahrizat’s husband, NFC executive chairman Datuk Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail) was also the victim of circumstances.”

Shahrizat has been facing calls for her resignation over the cow-gate controversy, causing her to take a threeweek leave from her ministerial duties last month.

She is due back from leave today although sources say she will be asked to extend her leave.

NFC was established as a High-Impact Project under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, to be at the forefront of Malaysia’s cattle production and halal beef products.

The couple’s three children — Wan Shahinur Izmir, 31, Wan Shahinur Izran, 27, and Wan Izzana Fatimah, 25, — have been on the board since 2007.

The corporation, which runs a 2,023.4ha site in Gemas, Negri Sembilan, received a RM250 million soft loan from the government at an interest rate of two per cent, and a RM13 million grant, half of which had been disbursed to it.

Shahrizat is also facing allegations of misappropriation of funds after PKR revealed public funds were allegedly used to purchase two luxury condominiums for RM13.8 million at One Menerung in Bangsar.

“That (the allegations) is not criminal. Misuse of a loan is a civil matter. You breach the agreement, then it is a civil matter. It is not as if he (Mohd Salleh) cheated the government out of the money because the money was already given to him to control,” he said.