KUALA LUMPUR – Felda today said though settlers’ debts were settled in 2021, it still owed more than RM9 billion sukuk used to take over FGV Holdings Bhd.
The agency’s newly appointed chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the sukuk was also to repay debts to the Employees’ Provident Fund and Maybank.
He was responding to an earlier statement by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had said the settlement of Felda settlers’ debt was implemented in 2021 when he was prime minister.
The Perikatan Nasional chief was responding to an announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the Felda Settlers’ Day celebration in Serdang that the government was taking steps to waive the settlers’ debt.
In his post, Muhyiddin claimed that due to Felda’s cash flow constraints, the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional government has not been able to implement the debt settlement continuously.
Anwar had also accused Muhyiddin of failing in his duties to implement the Felda settlers’ debt disposal during his time heading the government.
“When you (Muhyiddin) were the PM, you said the government would pay RM1 billion a year for 10 years,” Shabery posted on Facebook today.
“Rightfully, the payments should have started in 2022, but they did not. It was merely a promise which was unfulfilled.”
He said Anwar and his government had just come up with a solution and had committed to pay RM1 billion a year to Felda to settle its debts. – The Vibes, July 8, 2023
