KUALA LUMPUR, April 11 — Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein told other Barisan Nasional leaders not to engage in a war of words with the Opposition.
“Whatever we say, they will always find ways to refute us so there is no point,” he said after the launch of Satu Anggota Satu Rumah (SASaR) at Kem Transmitter in Sg Besi here today.
The caretaker defence minister was alluding to the claims and demands made by former minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz regarding the privatisation of military land.
“I have made my stand very clear previously so I will no longer engage in this issue. Datuk Seri Najib Razak and I are not required to answer to anyone.”
Hishammuddin said this was a mere publicity stunt by the Opposition in light of the upcoming polls.
“Why are they only bringing up such issues so close to the polling date? Why are they targeting the government now? The people should be able to see their true intention,” he said.
“We are confident that we are on the right track for this election so let us focus on the respective agenda instead of entertaining various claims that I’m sure will pop up every day leading up to May 9,” he said.
He added that the Defence Ministry had already issued a statement yesterday and the Armed Forces Fund Board is expected to make a statement tomorrow.
In her open letter dated April 8, Rafidah alleged that 40,000 hectares of army land had been transferred to a private company owned by three individuals, with a lease of 40 years.
The ministry issued a statement denying her claims, adding that the management of federal land is open and transparent.
It added it only selects firms for deals such as land swaps after stringent vetting under guidelines set by the Public-Private Partnership Unit (Ukas).
