PETALING JAYA: A former MP has urged rural and regional development ministry secretary-general Suriani Ahmad to explain minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s claim that projects in Sabah and Sarawak were shelved on her orders.
Former Batu Pahat MP Puad Zarkashi asked whether the ministry's most senior civil servant had greater authority than Zahid, who is both rural and regional development minister and deputy prime minister.
"It is strange that the deputy prime minister is quarrelling with the secretary-general to the point of making the revelation publicly in Parliament.
"It appears that there is a problem at the ministry," he said in a Facebook post.
Puad urged Suriani to disclose the facts behind the cancellation of the projects, adding that there must be a reason why she was willing to go against the minister.
"We do not want the people of Sabah and Sarawak to be confused and become victims," he added.
Yesterday, Zahid told the Dewan Rakyat that projects in Sabah and Sarawak were shelved on the orders of the ministry’s secretary-general, despite funds being set aside for them.
He did not elaborate on the claim, which he made while seeking to explain the RM2.1 billion in excess expenditure by his ministry from 2023 to 2025.
The issue stemmed from a disagreement between Zahid and Treasury secretary-general Johan Mahmood Merican over delayed payments to contractors handling rural development projects.
Johan said the delays were due to most of the ministry’s allocation for rural road projects this year having already been spent.
Yesterday, Zahid said his ministry was initially allocated RM3.982 billion between 2023 and 2025, with the sum later amended to RM6.143 billion.
The Umno president said his ministry ended up spending a total of RM6.108 billion in those three years, arguing that this meant it had in fact underspent.
Puad asked how the government could function effectively if disagreements between ministers and civil servants continued, while casting doubt on the Barisan Nasional chairman's credentials as a potential prime minister.
"If the deputy prime minister and civil servants like to quarrel, how can he become prime minister?" said the former Umno leader.