The Malaysian Insight

LAWYER Haniff Khatri Abdulla has rejected claims that his appointment as chairman of the Penang Regional Development Authority (Perda) was politically connected.

He added that he was not a member of any political party, but admitted he had acted as a legal adviser to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, his party Bersatu and others in the party.

“I don’t hold any position in any party. I am a legal adviser of the prime minister now and when he was not the prime minister.

“I am a legal adviser of Bersatu and some luminaries in the party. But I am not a member of any Pakatan Harapan party,” he said.

The prominent lawyer, who was appointed Perda chairman on January 5, said his appointment comes with the great task of cleaning up the agency.

The new chairman, who took up the post previously given to local Umno politicians and elected representatives, said one of his tasks was to sort out and clear “whatever legal issues or problems with regard to the management of the previous regime”.

Soon after he assumed the chairmanship, certain units had been formed and tasked to look into the issues, he said.

“We have come to 75% in our study on the issues. By the end of next month, at the latest, there will be certain independent action taken by Perda,” he said to reporters after visiting local food company Haliza Food Industries in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

Haniff was asked about the latest development concerning a 2016 report to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over a Nibong Tebal land sale under market price by Perda.

The Perda chairman at the time was Tasek Gelugor MP Shabudin Yahaya, who recently quit Barisan Nasional and Umno.

Haniff said police and MACC reports were criminal reports, and independent of such reports were civil actions.

“We are looking from all angles. For the benefit of Penangites, whatever lost, we will attempt to regain,” he said.

Perda was set up in 1983 to boost the rural communities’ living standards. Among the authority’s work are entrepreneurship programmes that have groomed locals into becoming successful business owners.

During his site visit, Haniff cited Haliza Food Industries as an example of Perda’s success. The small company exports snacks to eight countries – China, Cambodia, Seychelles, Bahrain, Singapore, Brunei, Maldives and Oman.

He said that hopefully in five years, one of the top five Malaysian entrepreneurs would be from Perda.

Haliza Food Industries’ export business is worth over RM3 million a year, its founder Nor Haliza Hussain said, adding that they were looking into expanding their operations to a larger facility.

Once they can move to a larger factory, they will be able to produce more for further exports and increase their annual export revenue to RM12 million, she said. – January 17, 2019.