Shahrizat Under Fire Again

Shahrizat misused ministry funds, alleges PKR

Hazlan Zakaria 5:56PM May 2, 2012

Opposition party PKR has accused a former Umno minister of “misappropriating” ministry allocations to fund Wanita Umno activities and functions.

“The use of public funds to pay for party activities that financially benefits party leaders is a serious offence under the law,” stressed Wanita PKR chief Zuraida Kamaruddin (right).

The monies, she claimed, were channeled through the Majlis Pembangunan Wanita dan Keluarga (MPWK) formed under the ambit of the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry once headed by former senator Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who is currently Wanita Umno chief.

MPWK, which was supposed to comprise of women’s exco members from each state, was however hijacked by the Wanita Umno state and division level leadership at the council’s state and district level respectively, Zuraida claimed.

Allocations of over RM5 milion a year were then allegedly funneled for Wanita Umno activities and functions disguised under MPWK for 11 years, since the council’s founding in 2001, amounting to RM55 million.

All this, Zuraida alleged, happened under Shahrizat's watch while she was still Women, Family and Community Development Minister.
She added that PKR has proof of the matter and will expose everything pending an explanation and urgent action from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who is in charge of the ministry for the moment.
She furnished the press with a copy of a letter purportedly from MPWK to a Wanita Umno division leader in Kuala Lumpur asking for reply to an invitation to a function and telling her that all travel claims and expenses can be reimbursed from the council’s operational allocations.

Other proof, Zuraida claimed, was being withheld until Najib can respond to them.
Dismantle MPWK

They are demanding that Shahrizat resign as Wanita Umno head, Najib dismantle the MPWK which they claim is an illegal and unregistered organisation, an internal investigation launched into the extent of the alleged misappropriation and for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency to investigate.

Failure to comply would see them disclose their evidence to the public, warned Zuraida.

Shahrizat’s press secretary, when contacted over the matter by Malaysiakini, said that he will refer the allegations to the Wanita Umno chief for her response.

This is the second allegation of corruption linked to Shahrizat levelled by PKR. Previously the opposition party had accused her husband and children of misappropriating money from a RM250 million government funded national feedlot and cattle rearing project, the now infamous NFC scandal.

Shahrizat and her family have maintained their innocence, though the matter became the target of both the MACC and police Commercial Crimes Investigation Department, with her husband and NFC chairperson Salleh Ismail currently facing charges of CBT and breaching the Companies Act.
The former minister had resigned her cabinet post after mounting public pressure over the NFC scandal, but has held on tenaciously to her party post, despite many voices from within and without Umno calling for her to let go of her Wanita chief post as well.

PET+BLOGSPOT is the ONLINE BLOG of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association or Petpositive. Our stories are CURRENT, ACCURATE and RELIABLE. We offer both local and foreign news on animals, disability and the elderly. PET+BLOGSPOT was first established in October 2007. Our hits since then are now 150,000 and ever increasing! PET+BLOGSPOT is updated daily. Kindly note that views expressed in PET+BLOGSPOT are not necessarily those of PETPOSITIVE. You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my You can also find us in Facebook under PETPOSITIVE EMPOWERMENT. Please sign up as a FOLLOWER of this Blog if you haven't done so already in order to show us your kind support for our work. Thank you!

RECORD 415 - THANK YOU MALAYSIAKINI

: THAT'S THE WHOPPING NUMBER of visits we at PET+BLOGSPOT had yesterday alone for a single day!

And we have no one else other than Malaysiakini to thank for this phenomenon.

The Internet newspaper had listed Our Blog under its "Malaysiakini in blogs" section, opening the gateway for a stream of curious visitors to our cyberspace site.

Most of them visited us for the politics stories we've been featuring since what has become a historic general elections event for human rights campaigners and NGOs.

As a result, 415 people had themselves exposed to the main topics that we cover on Our Blog which is animal-assisted therapy, the disabled and the elderly. [See pie-chart].

One email penned by Malayamuda was quite critical of Prime Minister Datuk Seri AbdullahBadawi's decision to make Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil at yesterday's Cabinet lineup announcement as a special adviser on women and community issues.

What is [the purpose of Dato' Dr] Ng Yen Yen's position then [now that] Shahrizat is special adviser? He asked.

Frankly, I'm rather confused myself.

To be honest, the former Minister for Family and Community Development was not exactly a big hit with the disabled community -- although she was the official who was supposed to look into our concerns.

The good part about Shahrizat is that she never was haughty in front of disabled people.

Rather she was always humble -- and often approachable -- compared to some of her past predecessors who seem to care more for protocol than for the people they are meant to serve.

However, many disabled activists are disappointed with her over a form of disability act bill she helped pass in Parliament recently.

Many say that the bill is really a toothless tiger meant to only look good in paper but totally useless when action needed to be taken to protect the rights of disabled Malaysians.

Shahrizat was Petpositive's first choice as our VVIP for our charity and fund-raising dinner last July. The Minister eventually couldn't make it - leaving MP for Petaling Jaya Selatan [and Deputy Minister for Tourism] Dato' Donald Lim Siang Chai to save the day as our Event Patron.

As it turned out at the last minute, Donald himself could not make it for our dinner. However, he graciously sent Dato' Wong Sai Hou to launch Our Society on his behalf.

As for Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen, our latest Minister for Family, Women and Community Development, I have yet to meet her.

It will certainly be something I will be doing as President of PETPOSITIVE over the next few months.

Together with members of our new opposition government in Selangor.

aNt
PET+BLOGSPOT

MALAYSIAKINI: SHAHRIZAT IS NOW SPECIAL ADVISER TO PM ON WOMEN AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AFFAIRS

Umno women's wing deputy chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has been appointed a special adviser to the prime minister with the status of minister on women and social development affairs.

According to Bernama, the Prime Minister’s Department said the appointment will be effective starting tomorrow.

The department said in executing her duties and responsibilities, Shahrizat will work closely with the women, family and community development ministry.

At present, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has two special advisers with the status of minister - for Islamic affairs and foreign affairs.

Shocking defeat

Shahrizat - who was the former women, family and community development minister - lost in the March 8 polls to PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar for the Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency.

Nurul Izzah, 27, is the daughter of former deputy premier and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.

Shahrizat’s defeat in the constituency, which she held for three terms since 1995, was unexpected.

Shahrizat became the first minister for women and family development when the ministry was created by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2001.

Later, Abdullah revamped the ministry and renamed it women, family and community development ministry.

Shahrizat was also acting federal territories minister in 2005 when Isa Abdul Samad had to step down from the post.