Former Batu Pahat MP Puad Zarkashi has urged rural and regional development ministry secretary-general Suriani Ahmad to explain a claim by minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that projects in Sabah and Sarawak were shelved on her orders.
Puad questioned whether the ministry’s most senior civil servant had greater authority than Zahid, who is also 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 wants clarification over shelved projects
Puad urged Suriani to disclose the facts behind the cancellation of the projects, saying 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 had been shelved on the orders of the ministry’s secretary-general, despite funds having been allocated for them.
He did not elaborate on the claim, which he made while explaining the ministry’s RM2.1 billion in excess expenditure from 2023 to 2025.
Dispute over ministry spending
The issue arose 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.
Zahid said the ministry was initially allocated RM3.982 billion between 2023 and 2025, before the amount was revised to RM6.143 billion.
The Umno president said the ministry spent RM6.108 billion over the three years, arguing that it had actually underspent.
Puad questioned how the government could function effectively if disagreements between ministers and civil servants continued. He also cast doubt on Zahid’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.
