He said Pakatan Harapan (PH) was in government for 22 months.
If there was an issue of conflict of interest between the Kuala Lumpur mayor and the foundation, Khalid should have resolved it, Annuar said.
“It’s a simple case. It could have been resolved. To me, there are no issues as opposed to what some are trying to raise now,” he said at a press conference at Parliament today.
Annuar said it was possible that the then mayor was a member of the board when investigations were conducted by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), but clarified that this was no longer the case.
“The mayor, right now, is not a member of YWP’s board of trustees,” he said, dismissing claims of a conflict of interest.
Yesterday, PH’s Kuala Lumpur MPs called for YWP to be abolished following a PAC report that its management was exposed to conflict of interest as the FT minister and the mayor were the foundation’s chairman and member of the trustees board, respectively.
The MPs proposed that other bodies, including Yayasan Kebajikan Negara, or a new department under Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) should handle welfare matters.
YWP is a company registered under the Companies Act 1965 and is not monitored by any authority, including the National Audit Department (NAD).
Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil also suggested that YWP be converted into a statutory body, to enable it to be audited by the NAD.
Annuar maintained that YWP was an NGO registered with the registrar of companies. He said it was not a government agency and the foundation did not receive any government funds.
He said the foundation played an important role in dispensing aid to hundreds of thousands in the city, particularly the urban poor.
“I receive this (feedback from MPs) positively. I am studying further the recommendations made by the PAC. I’m ready to make improvements if they are suitable.”
Annuar also clarified that the PAC’s revelation that 97 DBKL assets had been sold without referring to SOPs was up to 2017, adding that there were guidelines in place currently to handle such matters.
He said the government would follow up on the issues raised in the PAC report.
Follow party orders, BN MPs told
Annuar, who is also the Barisan Nasional secretary-general, urged Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to adhere to the coalition’s directive on supporting the current government and to vote for the 2021 budget.
He said Tengku Razaleigh’s call for MPs to vote for the budget according to their own judgment was the Umno veteran’s personal opinion. However, he warned of disciplinary action from the party.
“If there are any party members acting on their own, then when the general election comes, you don’t need the party any more. Make your own decisions then, too.
“If you don’t want to follow the party and its instructions, then you’ll have to prepare for certain actions from the party,” he said.