YOURSAY 'Surely Shahrizat doesn't expect the public to be so naive to believe that her family would have got the contract if not for her position in Umno?'

Vijay47: So Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil rolled up her sleeves and challenged PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and the rest of Malaysia to a fistfight.

I am unable to see how her belligerence addresses the real issue - that she and her family had milked the NFC (National Feedlot Corporation) for all it was worth.

Her only reference to the scandal was that she had nothing to do with it. How convenient!

When daylight robbery is perpetrated by a sitting minister's husband and children, at what point does it have to do with her?

Azizah resign? Why should she? Even if the allegations against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim were true, that would be a matter to be resolved between husband and wife.

But when a shameless family robs the state treasury, the nation has every right to an explanation and demands retribution. It is sad that not one of a thousand Umno women could see that Empress Shahrizat was naked.

Hermit: Shahrizat's challenge for Wan Azizah to resign somehow fondles my memory of the days when I was a kindergarten kid.

Whenever another kid scored a higher mark than me, I would challenge him to secure his elder brother for a fight with my elder brother, who is big and burly in size. Though skinny and small, I was big headed enough to challenge others involving proxy fighters.

And when Shahrizat, in her cow-raging emotion, challenged Wan Azizah - a well-respected, graceful and apparently faultless lady - to resign, I could only equate this to my days as a kindergarten kid.

It's a sad day for Wanita Umno to continue supporting this leader, albeit a rejected representative but cunning enough to secure a government loan to the tune of a quarter billion ringgit with open-ended clauses for her 'deserving' family to run a cow business.

Chuath: Is this the kind of argument offered by a supposedly educated minister? Is there no good person in Umno who can talk more intelligently? Shahrizat proves beyond doubt that there is something seriously wrong with our political system.

Manjit Bhatia: Who amongst you seriously expected anything even half decent and half truthful from the mouth as foul as this Umnoluddite, Shahrizat?

Cornered, she has tried to come out jabbing. But all the while, she was jabbing herself. Every word she uttered in respect of the NFC corruption, every one of her denial, amounted to yet another lie.

Worse, she is far too stupid, like everybody else in Umno and BN, to understand that Malaysians want to know if her husband and family's NFC soft loan from the Umno regime was made on the basis of her cabinet position and her position in Wanita Umno. It's a fair question which requires relentless investigation and the truth be revealed.

But this is Malaysia, where truth is ugly and thus must be covered up. But in Malaysia Umno-BN politicians, no matter how crooked or murderous, are clearly above the law.

Shahrizat must be told she is not above the law, not beyond suspicion, and not beyond guilt, even by association. That's politics.

Satu Malaysian: Shahrizat, this NFC debacle and issue of alleged corrupt practice involved both you and your family. It may also involve those in other ministries should there be a case of collusion in granting the project and/or the soft loan of RM250 million.

These are real issues that were exposed by none other then the AG (auditor-general) and the matter is now under investigation by the relevant authorities.

What puzzles me is that instead of explaining your role, if any, and speaking up for yourself and your family, you deflected it to Wan Azizah and others who were not involved in this matter other than to hold you responsible and accountable for this massive abuse of taxpayers' monies.

And why are you drawing in the innocent Wanita Umno members to your defence? How would they even begin to fathom the depth of this disgraceful scandal? Is this what leadership is about? Wouldn't it compromise their position?

Why do you need all these clapping, shouting and bad mouthing if you are standing up for the truth and speaking the truth? You should be able to handle it on your own.

Jokuan: When a person start resorting to name-calling and throwing red-herring to avoid answering and clarifying her own case, it shows that the person has run out off valid arguments to defend herself.

P Dev Anand Pillai: The moral of the story is being a Malay, one cannot complain or blow the whistle on another Malay if he finds out that the Malay is corrupt and living beyond his means.

Therefore as an Umno-Malay, it is their sole right to do whatever they please with the money in the government's coffers and no other Malay has a right to question them. If the Malays don't rise now, they never will.

FairMind: This is a classic case of deflection of one's guilt and focus of attention to another person. There is a huge difference between Shahrizat and Wan Azizah - one got a RM250 million contract while the other didn't.

Surely Shahrizat doesn't expect the public to be so naive to believe that her family would have got the contract if not for her position and influence in Umno?

In other countries, she would have been thrown into jail lest try to draw Wanita Umno into the fight. This has nothing to do with Wanita Umno. This is a case of corrupted practice of one person, who incidentally is the head of Wanita Umno.

Steven Choong: I am saddened that politicians in this country do not know what integrity and moral is. If you are in a position of influence, one and one's family must distance oneself from anything that may taint one's integrity.

If not, one cannot blame others for doubting one's integrity. You are the one who exposes yourself to criticism, so don't blame others. You can justify by whatever excuses you want but once your integrity is in doubt, it is difficult to convince people.

Sad Malaysian: I know this woman personally. She was a fairly decent lawyer and the few times we spoke, I thought she showed some level of intelligence. What happened?

Ferdtan: So what's happening? I thought Shahrizat said earlier that she is explaining everything to Wanita Umno about the NFC issue? I thought she is going to explain to the Wanita delegates of her and her family's innocence, backed by evidence.

Instead she just denied her involvement in her husband's affairs, and went into a senseless verbal rampage against Wan Azizah, who is unconnected to her case. And if the Umno members cannot see such open diversion, we rest our case.

Changeagent: Shahrizat, there is a huge difference between Anwar and your husband. As you have rightly pointed out, Anwar has been convicted and punished for all kinds of offences despite never having been proven guilty.

On the contrary, your husband has largely been walking around scot-free despite having been caught red-handed in the cow-gate affair. Anwar too said "I have nothing to do with it", and yet he was dragged through the mud by the judicial system and government-controlled mainstream media.

Why should you and your husband be allowed to escape any public scrutiny or criminal punishment?

You said, "I believe every human being whose name is woman, wife and mother, will understand and cry with me".

I might not be a woman nor understand your logic, but I too am crying now. Your stupidity and blatant disregard for public accountability have moved me to tears.

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