Media statement by Lim Kit Siang on arrival in Sibu on Monday, 16^th January 2012: 

"Temporary freeze" of NFC assets meaningless

The announcement by the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) executive director Wan Shahinur Izmir Salleh that It's "business as usual" and NFCorp operations are uninterrupted despite the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's announcement two days ago of the temporary freeze of the National Feedlot Centre assets offends the most elementary sense of right and wrong of decent Malaysians.

It raises the critical question nagging thinking Malaysians whether the "temporary freeze" of NFC assets was nothing but a charade and a conjuror's sleight-of-hand to appease an increasingly outraged Malaysian population - including more and more disillusioned Umno and Barisan Nasional members - but with little real meaning for the operations of NFC as appears to have been confirmed by Izmir.

When were the assets of NFC frozen? Who froze the NFC assets and who have the authority and what are the circumstances to unfreeze the NFC assets?

Most important of all, how much of the NFC assets have actually been frozen as Malaysians would not be surprised if NFC has been reduced to an empty shell with the many dubious corporate manipulations and hanky-lanky misusing NFC funds completely unrelated to the original objective to promote a high-impact project to ensure a higher level of beef self-sufficiency as have been publicly exposed in the past three months.

Can Najib specifically answer the many questions about the "temporary freeze" of NFC assets - the who, when, where, how and what assets have been frozen and what value?

When Izmir announced that it's "business as usual" despite the "temporary freeze" of NFC assets, what hit Malaysians in the face is the realization that the gross abuse of public funds is continuing without any let-up, as in the extravagance with which the Shahrizat family members are paying themselves in the NFC project.

Shahrizat's husband Dr. Mohammad Salleh Ismail as NFCorp Chairman draws $100,000 salary monthly, 31-year-old son Izmir draws RM45,000 monthly as executive director, another son Wan Shahinur Izran aged 27 draws RM35,000 a month as CEO while 25 year-old daughter Wan Izzanah Fatimah draws RM35,000 as the other director - a handsome total sum of RM215,000 monthly as salaries for Shahrizat's husband and three children all to be traced to the largesse from the cabinet in approving and resulting in the RM300.000 "cattle condo" scandal.

Ordinary Malaysians are outraged that after more than six months after the revelations and strictures by the Auditor-general about the NFC "mess", nothing has been done whether by the cabinet or NFC to put things right. What is worse, there is a complete absence of remorse or admission of grave wrong and injustices in the gross misuse of NFC funds.

What is the meaning and purpose of the "temporary freeze" of NFC assets six months after the Auditor-General 2010 Report had first been submitted to the Cabinet and government when there has been no "hair-cut" on the Shahrizat family in the NFCorp to curb their extravagant salaries and lifestyles?

The least Malaysians expect in any meaningful "temporary freeze" of NFC assets would be two-thirds cut in the monthly salaries of the NFCorp chairman, executive director, CEO and the other director from their total monthly salaries of RM215,000 to some RM71,000!

Will this be discussed in the cabinet tomorrow? Which Minister would dare to broach this subject in Cabinet tomorrow?

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary Leader & MP for Ipoh TimorTimor