'Waste of time' Ahmad Maslan tells Azmin over Felda debate

Pontian - An Umno leader has pointed fingers at Perikanan Nasional for Felda's and other large corporations' financial losses after the coalition took over Putrajaya in 2020.

Due to that, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said the challenge thrown by PN Information chief Azmin Ali to debate with ex-prime minister Najib Razak on Felda was a waste of time.

“When they took over the government there was a crucial policy that caused shares to fall, which saw FGV Holdings, a company that has never reported losses before as well as Tabung Haji and Khazanah Nasional Bhd suffered the same fate," he said, without explaining the policy.

"Even Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) gave lower dividends," he said, adding that the loss of RM400 billion in stocks should not be directed at BN.

He said this at a press conference after the Malaysian Family Employment Guarantee Career Carnival at the Sultan Ibrahim Diamond Jubilee Hall, here on Sunday.

Earlier Azmin challenged Najib to debate the Felda issue on March 12, a day before Johor polls.

"The issue is that Felda was destroyed under his administration. We have facts over the purchase of properties in Kensington , Sarawak, among others," Azmin had said, adding that the case is still being probed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the police.

Azmin, the Gombak MP further told reporters that a White Paper has proven that Felda settlers have been betrayed. Due to that, and said Najib should not be "bragging that Umno saved Felda."