PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar has urged Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz to divulge what transpired during past Cabinet discussions on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project.
He said Nazri's statement many ministers opposed the project but later agreed to it for fear of it turning into "a big issue", was unacceptable.
"What does Nazri mean by they had to agree to the project in the end, despite having many ministers opposing it because they are afraid of it becoming a bigger issue? What is this 'bigger issue'?
"Nazri needs to give an explanation to the rakyat about what happened during the meeting and what the opinions of the other ministers were.
"The rakyat need to know because Nazri was among the Cabinet members present when (the Then Transport Minister) Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik proposed the PKFZ project," said the Pokok Sena MP at a Press conference at the Parliament lobby yesterday.
Mahfuz said the decision to agree to the project despite opposition from numerous ministers only goes to show Cabinet members were afraid of the power the Prime Minister, as Cabinet's chairman, had then.
"It also goes to show the Cabinet ministers who opposed the project became 'yes men' in the end. I feel the practice may still be continuing till this day."
On Monday, Nazri had said he could still recall many ministers opposed to the project but subsequently agreed to it for fear of it becoming a big issue. He added at the meeting in 2002, many said the project might not succeed but did not want to interfere then as the land price was high.
On another issue, Mahfuz lambasted Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and former premier Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for defending Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil over the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) controversy.
Mahfuz said both Muhyiddin and Abdullah should explain how the cattle-farming project was approved and given to the company owned by Shahrizat's family.
"Muhyiddin said the company that handles the NFC should explain the issue. I feel it should not be left at that. What is important is investigating the controversy.
"Both Muhyiddin and Abdullah have to explain how the Cabinet decided to approve the project and give it to an inexperienced company," he said, adding the NFC project's fate may well end the same as the PKFZ project.
The Attorney-General’s Report had noted the NFC project only produced 3,289 head of cattle or 41.1 per cent of the target set last year.
