KUALA LUMPUR: The government has given assurance that Government-Linked Agencies (GLC) would be free of any political interference.
Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd’s (FGV) president and chief executive officer Datuk Zakaria Arshad in saying this, praised the new government, adding that GLCs like FGV would be free to act accordingly without political involvement.
He said this after a meeting with the Council of Eminent Persons at Ilham Tower today.
Zakaria said the government would allow professionals to manage and handle things from now on.
He noted this was good news and accepted wholeheartedly, stating that “we very much like this.”
When asked if there was any political interference in FGV in the past, he declined to comment.
“I do not want to talk about the past but we have been given assurance that there will be no more political interferences now,” he told media members at the tower’s driveway.
Asked if former Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and FGV chairman Tan Sri Isa Samad’s named was raised during the meeting, he said no.
Isa was Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar from 1982-2004 and Federal Territories Minister between 2004 and 2005.
Several cases cropped up while he was chairman since 2016 including the Afghanistan company Safitex's late payments to FGV subsidiary Delima Oil Products Sdn Bhd which saw Zakaria being forced to go on leave.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) then investigated Isa over Felda Investment Corporation Sdn Bhd’s (FIC) purchases of hotels in London and Kuching.
In late 2017, Isa was once again investigated for Felda’s Jalan Semarak land scandal worth RM270 million.
Berita Harian, in an exclusive report, broke the story that Felda was at risk of losing ownership of the piece of land worth more than RM200 million following what had been described as a “dubious deal” in 2015.
The plot of land, which has been earmarked for the Kuala Lumpur Vertical City (KLVC) development project, will feature seven towers, including Felda’s iconic tower, to be known as KLVC Tower 1A.
The ownership transfer of the land took place when FIC Sdn Bhd appointed SPSB as its main developer on June 3, 2014, and it was granted full power of attorney to develop the land.
Isa was chairman of Felda from January 2011 to June 2017, when he resigned from the post.
Umno Supreme Council member and Johor Bharu Member of Parliament Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad replaced Isa as chairman.
However, Shahrir has resigned from his position on Monday.
Meanwhile, Zakaria described the meeting as “very positive“, adding that the council had given a number of suggestions to improve FGV’s position.
“A lot of issues were discussed for improvements. The future of FGV will be brighter based on the suggestions.
“However, I need to go back and inform my Board of Directors first,” he said.
He also said there was no second meeting set with the council but if he were to be called, he would be present.