PM Anwar’s proof of Felda debt waiver wrong document, says Muhyiddin’s former aide

KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s former aide Datuk Marzuki Mohamad today said that the document released by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is not the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) settlers’ debt waiver agreement.

It is instead an agreement issuing government-guaranteed sukuk, Muhyiddin’s former principal private secretary said in a posting on his Facebook page.

“With one glance I already knew. The said document was not the agreement to waive the Felda settlers’ debt, but an agreement regarding the government-guaranteed sukuk that is issued in stages,” he said.

He also called for the government to declassify the minutes taken during the Cabinet decision on October 14, 2020 to clear doubts and for the public to see for themselves.

He explained that the date above was when Muhyiddin’s Cabinet approved a Felda Recovery Plan, which included the waiver of 80 per cent of the Felda settlers’ debt totalling RM8.3 billion.

It also included the issuance of RM9.9 billion sukuk in stages for the purpose of acquiring FGV Holdings Berhad along with the settlement of Felda’s debts with Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) as well as an annual grant of RM990 million to Felda from the federal government, he said.

Marzuki added that the document released by Anwar was not proof that the debt waiver had only been done in June this year as it was the issuance of government-guaranteed sukuk which was part of the abinet’s 2020 decision.

“Whoever becomes the minister of finance must sign this document.

“As far as I can recall, Muhyiddin was never the finance minister,” he said.

Anwar is also the Finance Minister.

Earlier today, Malay Mail sighted documents that showed Anwar had signed off M990 million on June 27 this year as part of the agreement to waive the Felda settlers’ debt.

Anwar also urged Muhyiddin to apologise over the latter’s prior claim that he was the one that executed the decision to waive Felda settlers’ debt.

Yesterday, Muhyiddin sent a letter of demand to Anwar seeking an apology and retraction for claiming the former did not implement a debt waiver scheme for Felda settlers, which had to be done within 24 hours.

Failure to comply would see Muhyiddin’s lawyers begin a defamation lawsuit against Anwar.

The next day, Muhyiddin insisted he had been responsible for executing this decision in 2021, accusing 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.

Among other things, Anwar said the funds for the programme were only allocated in the Budget 2023 that he tabled in February, and were nowhere to be seen in either Budget 2021 or 2022.