KUALA LUMPUR (July 20): Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has shared documents pertaining to a government guarantee to the Federal Land Authority (Felda) over a debt waiver for settlers that he had signed, following a letter of demand by one of his predecessors, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“Thus, I urge Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to apologise for the slander thrown at me,” he said in a statement on Thursday (July 20) in response to Muhyiddin's letter of demand asking him to retract statements made about the matter, and to apologise within 24 hours.
One of the documents shared — dated June 26, 2023 — was part of an assignment of the financial service reserve account (FSRA) between Felda, the Malaysian government, and Amanahraya Trustees Bhd, which was signed by then Felda chairman Tan Sri Idris Jusoh, Felda director general Datuk Amiruddin Abdul Satar and Anwar himself. The signing of the document was witnessed by Deputy Secretary General of Treasury (Investment) Datuk Anis Rizana Mohd Zainudin.
Idris resigned from his position as Felda chairman on June 30. Appointed to the post in May 2020, he stepped down about a year earlier than his scheduled May 2024 departure, saying he wanted to pave the way for the new government to appoint a more suitable replacement.
Meanwhile, according to the document Anwar shared, the government would issue a guarantee in favour of Amanahraya Trustees, in its capacity as a security trustee.
The guarantee is for the benefit of Amanahraya Trustees as sukuk trustee, the holders of the sukuk murabahah, and financiers, which pertain to the issuance of sukuk murabahah and a revolving credit-i facility.
Separately, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) also issued a statement to say that the FSRA is in relation to the government guarantee of RM9.9 billion to Felda, to enable the authority to restructure its debts by strengthening its financial position through the issuance of sukuk and revolving credit to stabilise and strengthen Felda’s financial position.
“The government will finance the repayment of the aforementioned sukuk by allocating grants of RM990 million every year for ten years,” it said.
Anwar — also the finance minister — shared a payment order for the first RM990 million, dated July 18, 2023. “This is in line with the Madani Budget of 2023,” the MOF statement read.
At an event in Tanjong Karang Wednesday night, Anwar said he would release proof on Thursday that he had signed the debt waiver scheme for Felda settlers.
Anwar was responding to Muhyiddin’s demand for an open and unconditional written apology from him following Anwar’s claim that Felda settlers’ debts, totalling RM8.3 billion, had not been waived under Muhyiddin’s administration.
The letter of demand dated July 18 was issued through solicitors Messrs Rosli Dahlan Saravana Partnership.
Prior to this, Anwar claimed that under the Perikatan Nasional government’s 2021 and 2022 national budgets, no allocation was made to resolve and dispose of the settlers' debts.