Forum on Khalid’s fate turns into Anwar-bashing session
A youth group forum on whether embattled Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim had betrayed Pakatan Rakyat (PR) last night descended into a session to criticise opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Some 100 people gathered at the Selangor Chinese Assembly hall for the forum that was headlined by Khalid's special officers Shazni Munir and Azrul Azwar, apart from former Khalid staffer Nathaniel Tan and Persatuan Anak Selangor Menyokong Menteri Besar (Pasmeb) president Mazli Saring.
Mazli said Anwar had targeted Khalid because of the massive amount of funds at the disposal of Menteri Besar Incorporated.
"The funds will enable Anwar to buy the support of Umno members and make them join the opposition coalition," Mazli told the forum organised by the newly-established Lensa Anak Muda Malaysia group.
"This is why Anwar has nominated his wife, PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as the candidate to replace Khalid."
Shazni also poured cold water on the claims made by PKR against Khalid over the RM66.67 million debt issue with Bank Islam, saying it was baseless and lacked credibility.
"The claims made by PKR in their 91-page report against Khalid were based on information supplied by a source, Khalid's political secretary, Azman Bidin," said Shazni.
"However, Azman has clarified that he never said anything about Khalid meeting former Umno lawyer Tan Sri Abdul Rashid Abdul Manaf to discuss the Bank Islam issue."
It has been reported that Khalid resolved his dispute with Bank Islam after Rashid allegedly assisted the former in reaching an out-of-court settlement.
Shazni also clarified that Eco World Development Sdn Bhd, the company linked to Rashid, had been awarded a RM591 million project to build affordable homes after a lengthy process.
"It is true that Eco World is controlled by Rashid, but what many people forget is that he was once the chairman of reputable builder SP Setia.
"Many of Eco World's staff are also formerly from SP Setia, which gives the company rich experience in building houses," Shazni said.
One of PKR's complaints about Khalid had been the awarding of the RM591 million deal to Eco World to build 2,400 affordable homes in Sungai Sering, Ukay Perdana.
Azrul also defended his boss, saying Khalid had always been particular about how public funds had been spent and wanted a full accounting for every ringgit.
"The RM3 billion reserve which Khalid has built up with his parsimonious attitude is not actually very much," Azrul said, pointing out that it was just a fraction of the national budget.
"Why is the spotlight on the RM3 billion reserve when Putrajaya's expenditure is many times over?" Azrul questioned.
He also clarified the chance meetings between Khalid and Rashid, pointing out that both men had corporate backgrounds. – August 10, 2014.
