Minister of MPIC Khairuddin Aman Razali is urged to explain allegations that he lifted the moratorium on the sale of properties of the Malaysian Rubber Board (MRB) and alleged improprieties in proposed sale and lease of two prime land/properties in Jalan Ampang Kuala Lumpur
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I am most perturbed by the information trending in the online social media on the purported lifting of the Moratorium which I have ordered and imposed on the sale and development of all real properties owned by MRB when I was the appointed Minister of Primary Industries Malaysia.
I read with shock on the letters purportedly written by the Ministry of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) and the MPIC Minister’s office which directed MRB Director-General Dato’ Dr Zairosani Mohd Nor to lift the Moratorium of land sales/lease and carry out:
(I) the lease of Lot 20013 (old lot no: 76) at Jalan Ampang to a PAS related foundation, Al-Noor Foundation at a below market lease rate at RM0.70 per sq feet (market price is RM2.50 per sq feet); and
(Ii) the proposed sale of an 8.8 acre prime land of Lot 20012 (old lot no: 75) known as the heritage land at Jalan Ampang at RM1,032.92 per sq feet (market price is estimated between RM1,500 to RM 1,800 per sq feet), which is below market price to a private company called Eurowhite Sdn Bhd.
If the documents and accusations above are true, the MPIC Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali is duty bound to explain the reasons why he ordered the sales and lease of the prime land of MRB below market rate.
I must put on record the when I left MPI, MRB had cash reserves of about RM 1.5 billion. Its finances were and are very healthy. This has been confirmed by the previous MRB Chairman Datuk Sankara Nair. To safeguard the assets of MRB I informed the then Chairman to impose a moratorium, which he did, on the sales of all properties owned by MRB as I wanted MRB to go back to its core business principles and purpose i.e. to carry out rubber research and not to deviate from it.
Khairuddin must understand that all funds of MRB belong to the rubber industry and to the public, He must justify any move to deal with the assets of MRB. He should not interfere the independence of the MRB Board.
As all sales of properties of statutory bodies like MRB must be approved by the Cabinet, PM Tan Sri Muhiydin and Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz must take note of the complaints that appear in the social media and order an immediate probe.
MRB’s mere denial today is hollow and a mere gimmick. The official correspondences viral in the social media should be investigated by MACC.
Teresa Kok
Former Minister of Primary Industries
MP for Seputeh
28 May 2021