YOURSAY 'So a judge can have his own law practice, the tourism minister can have his own travel business, the finance minister can have his own bank?'

Noh admits holding stake in prawn farm

Onyourtoes: Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar, why don't you check whether a cabinet minister can do active business? Why don't you check what you ought to do with your businesses upon your appointment as a cabinet minister?

Besides prawn farming, are there other businesses that you currently hold - taxi companies, fertiliser supply, sand mining interest, rice farming and trading?

You ought to know what to do, don't give us these crap arguments.

In different circumstances, you would have been charged immediately for failing to declare your vested interest.

Don't forget, you are in charge of agriculture subsidies, agriculture loans, agriculture extension programmes, agriculture marketing, export and import licences of agricultural produce.

Hello: Whether Noh Omar was appointed agricultural minister before or after he got into the prawn rearing business, there is definitely a conflict of interest.

And now it is revealed that the business obtained a loan from the Agro Bank, which is part of the Agriculture Ministry.

How do you explain this, Noh? Did you sit on the committee to approve this loan? MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission), where are you?

Anomys235: "So a housing minister cannot buy a house? Is that also conflict of interest?" asked Noh Omar.

Noh, a housing minister can buy a house, but if he becomes a housing developer, either personally or by proxy, and starts profiting from it, then it is another story.

Mushiro: If there's nothing wrong for the agriculture minister to do prawn farming business, why didn't Noh admit to it earlier?

We want to know how much funds the Agriculture Ministry has approved for this business.

1Glokal: He was quoted as saying, "The land does not belong to me personally." But he was registered as the owner?

Anonymous #19098644: Corrupt Umno politicians do not believe in conflict of interest as it hinders their wealth accumulation. They rationalise their breach of the law by claiming it is a local affair, while they focus on national affairs. Noh Omar and his Umno brothers have taken hypocrisy to a new level in Malaysia.

As for the police, they are busy sending their officers to check if a blogger has committed sedition by revealing documents which shines some light on the less than respectable members of society.

Changeagent: The fact is that you did not declare your interest to the public, nor did you divest your stake in the business when you took on your ministerial position in 2009.

Rick Teo: So a judge can have his own law practice, the tourism minister can have his own travel business, the finance minister can have his own bank or finance institution?

Of course, the housing minister can buy a house but he cannot go into housing development because that would be conflict of interest, like your prawn farm.

This stupid minister just doesn't know what conflict of interest is.

Ronnie Liu 235d: The minister cannot do business. Period. Noh knows it.

He must sell all his shares upon becoming a minister or deputy minister. He must be sacked from his position now that he has been caught doing business.

Multi Racial: That's why Wanita Umno chief Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the following when she was questioned about the NFC (National Feedlot Corporation). "Tell me which Umno leader doesn't have problems?"

At least, Shahrizat got this one right.

Joker: What an uncouth and brutish behaviour, especially coming from someone who ridiculed the humble Malay villagers by insinuating that 'kampung standards' are low standards.

Noh is definitely not 'kampung standard' as the kampung folk are honest, humble and hardworking people.

He wanted to experience life as a farmer? How often was he at the farm waking up at the break of dawn, coming down to the muck, feeding the shrimp, harvesting them and cleaning the ponds?

Dood: This is as innocent as Shahrizat's family getting the cow contracts with no help at all from Shahrizat's political and government connections.

Survivor: Noh, it's okay - just an ‘Ali-Baba' venture, yes? So now you are agriculture minister, you should declare your interest or play no part in the business, right?

You should withdraw your shares, right? If not, if Pristine Agrofood Sdn Bhd director Chu Bak Teck has a problem and you help him to fix it, then that is known as ‘conflict of interest', right?

Giudice: But the company said you are not involved and are merely the landlord. Who's lying then?

Dont Just Talk: How convenient for an agriculture minister to be involved in prawn aquaculture. Hopefully, whatever business dealings there are with the prawn breeding farm are above board.

By the way, how much did you pay for the 30 acres of land in Tanjung Karang, and can I qualify for such a privilege as a ‘pendatang' (immigrant) with no political connections?

Fair&Just: Here you have a minister who needs to study the meaning of ministerial responsibility and conflict of interest.

Perhaps the government can send all their ministers for a course on the definitive meaning of the above. Ignorance is not an excuse for dereliction of duty as a minister.

As they are ignorant, perhaps it is safe for them to declare all their assets to the rakyat like the opposition, and thereafter be restrained from abusing their position again.

Anonymous #00470101: Cow-gate not yet over and here comes Udang-gate?

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