Zafrul clarifies Muhyiddin's nation financial woe claims
This comes after Parit Sulong Umno youth wing lodged a police report against Muhyiddin, stating the information about the nation’s financial status was protected under the Official Secrets Act 1972 and was therefore confidential.
In a Facebook posting, he added similar reports are also distributed to other Cabinet members from both sides of the divide.
"As the chairperson of National Recovery Council, he(Muhyiddin) needs the reports to make the right decisions to help the prime minister as the country recovers from post-Covid," he said.
Zafrul said the facts in the report on the country's economy " have been repeated several times in the Cabinet and to the public."
"I do not hide these (facts) and have been said in media statements, in forums, parliamentary replies and reports to Bank Negara, Statistics Department, among others," he said.
Yesterday, English online Malaysiakini reported Muhyiddin saying that Malaysia is more financially troubled than what is being painted by the Umno-led federal government.
He claimed to have received a current report from Zafrul that Malaysia would soon be overtaken by its Asean neighbours, Indonesia and Vietnam.
“Yesterday [February 17], I asked Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz to deliver a report... I will leak [bocor] it in time [about] the position of our national finance.
“How long can we last? How long will our annual revenue be able to pay salaries and support our national development? Will we have enough money to support our huge pension payment?," Muhyiddin was quoted as saying.
The former home minister was further quoted as saying that the country's situation was not as rosy as being let on.
"This is the biggest challenge at the national level,” Muhyiddin was quoted saying during the official launch of the Perikatan Nasional (PN) election machinery in Johor Lama on Feb 18, ahead of the state election next month.
So far Parit Sulong Umno youth wing have lodged a police report against Muhyiddin, stating the information about the nation’s financial status was protected under the Official Secrets Act 1972 and was therefore confidential.
“The Bersatu president is no longer a Cabinet member nor the prime minister anymore. He is not entitled to be of such information on the country that is classified as confidential.
“What was said by Muhyiddin appears to go against the laws on official national documents, which are subject to the Official Secrets Act 1972,” it said in a statement.
The wing urged for a probe be initiated under the OSA to investigate the validity of the former prime minister’s claim or if an offence under the secrecy law had been committed.
