Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil today refused comment on the over the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) fiasco, just a day after delivering a fiery speech condemning her critics on the subject.
At a press conference today after Umno president Najib Abdul Razak's policy speech at the Umno annual general assembly, Shahrizat was asked if she was a party to the cabinet's decision to approve the NFC project.
To this, Shahrizat raised her eyebrow, shook her head lightly and waved her right hand to indicate that she will not respond to that question.
Instead, Shahrizat gave her response to Umno president Najib Abdul Razak's policy address and hurriedly left the press conference, ignoring further queries from the press.
Yesterday, Shahrizat had condemned her critics for attacking her and her family over the NFC project, which was highlighted in the Auditor-General's Report 2010.
Shahrizat avoiding press
The project was awarded to a company owned by Shahrizat's family in 2007 under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration when Shahrizat was a serving cabinet minister.
In her speech at the Wanita Umno AGM yesterday, Shahrizat said the NFC project had nothing to do with her.
Her critics, primarily PKR, had claimed NFC had abused a RM250 million soft loan to purchase luxury condominiums and funded oversea trips.
Just hours after Shahrizat's speech, PKR hurled fresh allegationson the NFC, accusing the company of abusing funds to buy land in the administrative capital of Putrajaya and a luxury car.
Following this, the normally affable and chatty Shahrizat did not call for any press conferences after her speech yesterday. In contrast, her Youth wing counterparty Khairy Jamaluddin met reporters twice.
DPM, KJ mum
At another press conference earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who has been backing Shahrizat thus far, declined comment on PKR's fresh allegations.
"I don't hope that the opposition will praise us. We work hard, they don't praise us; We do the right thing, they also don't praise us. It has become a norm to us," he said.
Khairy, who had wrote a long article in defence of the NFC project, too refused comment on the fresh allegations.
"I have not had a chance (to talk to her on the matter)," he told a separate press conference this morning.
Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, when met at the sidelines of the AGM, said Shahrizat is capable of assessing whether the issue will cause damage to Umno.
Asked if she should resign, Mahathir replied: "I don't know".
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