HOUSING and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said she was not involved in offering any projects through direct negotiations when she headed the ministry during the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government’s administration.

She said she would have no problems if Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, or former finance minister Lim Guan Eng, wanted to reveal details of companies that accepted projects through direct negotiations.

“Lim Guan Eng can reveal them because he knows. He (Lim) admitted there were no direct negotiations but we find that this has happened, so he is the one who needs to reveal them,” she said after giving a speech at the Women’s Leadership Forum in conjunction with Women’s Day in Kuala Lumpur today.

Tengku Zafrul had revealed in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday that the country’s administration headed by the PH government had approved 101 projects worth RM6.61 billion to various companies through direct negotiations in the 22 months it was in power.

He said direct negotiations can be carried out but only under certain conditions, and would need to fulfil certain criteria, among which is that the projects cannot be delayed without causing damage to the country.

Meanwhile, Zuraida denied state Housing, Local Government and Town and Country Planning executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo’s claim that Penang was excluded from the federal government’s People’s Housing Programme (PPR) schemes.

“It is not true; I have some reports from my director-general. What I know is that there are a few… we have a list of them actually. It is not true, what he said is not true. They should understand because when I was a PH minister before, I served the other states as well… no discrimination at all,” she said.

Meanwhile, Zuraida suggested that the Women’s Institute of Management (WIM) organise women’s leadership training.

She said this was because women’s involvement at the decision-making level has yet to reach 30%, showing that women are less active at the nation’s highest levels.

“We do not have political training for young women, leadership training for young women keen on being involved in the world of politics. So, it would be a good start if WIM can come up with relevant courses… we must produce leaders among our young women.” – Bernama, August 25, 2020.