AGRICULTURE and Agro-based Industries Minister Salahuddin Ayub is ready to face the full extent of the law if it is found illegal to ask for a contract be awarded to a government-controlled farmer’s group.

He said he followed all procedures and rules when he wrote to the prime minister asking that a RM1.4 billion contract be awarded to the National Farmers Organisation (Nafas).

“Until today, the open tender process has not been finalised. No company has been awarded the contract.

“What I did was according to procedure, I followed the rules,” Salahuddin told the Dewan Rakyat today.

“The power to award the tender is in the hands of the Finance Ministry. If I have broken the law, let the law take its course,” he said in response to a question from Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (Rantau Panjang-PAS).

Salahuddin is under fire from the opposition over his decision to pitch Nafas to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

 “Yes, it is true I wrote to the prime minister. I wrote as it is my responsibility to do so,” he said.

He added anyone can bid for the contract as long as the tender is open.

“It is the process. As long as the tender process has not been completed, anyone can come and meet me,” he said last Friday.

Salahuddin has been under fire for writing the letter asking that Nafas be awarded a contract to supply fertiliser for the rice-planting industry.

Wee Ka Siong (Ayer Hitam-BN) has accused the ministry of trying to award the contract through direct negotiation instead of open tender.

He said Salahuddin has violated Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) own policy of implementing open tenders for all forms of government procurement.

Wee added the tender process is closed and the contracts are already awarded when Salahuddin wrote the letter to the prime minister.

As a result, the initial contract, which has been awarded to private companies, is cancelled, said Wee.

Salahuddin today reiterated he is doing his duty as the agriculture minister to help Nafas, a body that represents 920,000 farmers across the country.

Under him, Nafas has been revived in January after being suspended in June 2018, after PH took office.

The suspension was for the authorities to investigate alleged abuse of power and fraud that turned up during a special audit.

“In our revival of Nafas, we made sure it is operating with more transparency and that it follows the rules,” said Salahuddin, adding that the body has been changed from a cooperative to a public company.

“As agriculture minister, it is my duty to take care of Nafas as it relates to the welfare of our farmers. Nafas is controlled by the government.

“If it gets a government contract, it will continue to look after farmers by giving them good dividends.” – November 26, 2019.