Felda Debt Waiver Muhyiddin Hauls Anwar To Court

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Former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin has hauled Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to the civil court over the latter’s allegation linked to the Felda settlers’ debt write-off.
The Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairperson’s legal team from Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership filed the writ of summons at the Kuala Lumpur High Court yesterday.
The civil action came on the heels of Muhyiddin (above, right) and Anwar trading threats of legal action, following the latter’s speech at the Felda Settlers Day reception in Serdang, Selangor on July 7.
The Bersatu president among others seeks general, aggravated, and exemplary damages commensurate with the RM200 million compensation that the PKR president demanded from the former.
After being served a letter of demand from Muhyiddin for alleged defamation, Anwar on July 21 hit back by sending him a “precursor to a letter of demand” for RM200 million over his alleged defaming of the sitting prime minister.
In the statement of claim for the present lawsuit, Muhyiddin contended that during his premiership in the 2020-2021 Covid-19 pandemic and post-pandemic period, he and the cabinet developed plans to alleviate the people’s hardship and spur economic recovery.
The Pagoh MP said among the initiatives was to write off 80 percent of Felda settlers’ debt amounting to RM8.3 billion out of RM12.1 billion.
He said on Oct 14, 2020, during a cabinet meeting, he made several decisions, namely to write off RM8.3 billion of the debt, to approve the issuance of RM9.9 billion of Sukuk (Islamic bonds) to be guaranteed by the government to increase Felda’s equity in FGV Holdings Berhad and reduce Felda’s debts, and to approve the injection of RM990 million annual government grant to Felda for Sukuk repayment.
The PN lawmaker claimed that the Felda settlers’ debt waiver was evinced by several events, such as Felda’s financial statement for the financial year ending 2021.
The plaintiff contended that the debt write-off is proven by a written reply dated Dec 16, 2021, by then minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) Mustapa Mohamed in the Dewan Rakyat, regarding 98,605 Felda settlers (around 87.54 percent of the 112,638 settlers), to have been executed.
Muhyiddin noted that the current Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said had in a written reply in Parliament dated Feb 23 this year shown that the debt waiver was approved in 2021.
The plaintiff also pointed out media statements by Felda chairperson Idris Jusoh and settlers themselves that RM8.3 billion in debt had been written off in 2021.
‘Abuse of power’
Muhyiddin claimed that Tambun MP Anwar’s statements made on July 7 implied among others that the former lied about the Felda settlers’ debt write-off, was a person who did not fulfil his responsibilities as then-premier over the debt waiver, and abused his power.
Besides damages, the plaintiff is also seeking, among others, an injunction to restrain the defendant from further defaming him as well as a court order for the sitting prime minister to take down the allegedly defamatory statements carried online in videos on Anwar’s Facebook as well as YouTube accounts.
Muhyiddin also wants Anwar to make a public apology to be published in all news portals, mass media, and social media platforms.
According to the statement of claim, Muhyiddin also claimed that Anwar abused his power as prime minister ever since forming the government following the 15th general election last year.
Muhyiddin claimed, among others, that the defendant, holding the portfolio of finance minister, made sensational, unfounded, and false allegations against the plaintiff and his family.
Muhyiddin also claimed that Anwar enlisted various enforcement agencies to subject opposition leaders to criminal prosecution.
When contacted by Malaysiakini, Anwar’s counsel Sankara Nair said his client was served via email with an unsealed copy of the lawsuit’s cause papers. - Mkini

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