PKR urges Umno not to mislead public over rural road projects

PKR has urged Umno not to mislead the public about the Ministry of Finance’s directive to postpone the issuance of new Letters of Acceptance for rural road projects. — Picture by Raymond Manuel

First Published: Friday, 30 Oct 2026 10:36 AM MYT

MELAKA, Oct 30 — Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has urged Umno not to mislead the public about the Ministry of Finance’s (MoF) directive to postpone the issuance of new Letters of Acceptance (SST) for rural road projects.

PKR deputy secretary-general Saifuddin Shafi Muhammad stressed that deferring the SST is not the same as cancelling rural development projects, as alleged by Umno secretary-general Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki.

“Do not conflate the deferral of the SST for rural road projects with allegations of a wholesale cancellation of road, water supply and electricity projects. If there is indeed an instruction for cancellation, produce the relevant documents and the list of the projects in question,” he said in a statement yesterday.

He was commenting on Asyraf Wajdi’s statement yesterday, in which the latter, among other things, urged the MoF to withdraw its directive to cancel rural development projects in Sabah and Sarawak.

Elaborating, Saifuddin Shafi said the MoF had also suspended approvals for using the Selected Pre-Qualified Open Tender (TTPKT) method for new projects following findings in the Auditor-General’s Report concerning procurement procedures and the governance of public funds.

“However, the people want these projects to be completed. Therefore, the MoF and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW) must promptly resolve the issues raised and provide certainty regarding the implementation of affected projects,” he said.

Refuting the perception that Sarawak had been sidelined, Saifuddin Shafi said that under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership, the state’s development allocation under Budget 2026 had more than doubled to RM6 billion, compared with RM2.9 billion in 2022.

On campaign ethics, he said Asyraf Wajdi’s call for Barisan Nasional (BN) campaign machinery to conduct itself responsibly during the Melaka state election should also be practised by all parties, including Umno itself.

“I certainly agree with Umno’s call for campaigns to be conducted responsibly and ethically, but spreading superficial facts is not part of that effort,” he said.

He said party leaders must ensure their campaign machinery’s speeches and actions, whether on the campaign trail or on social media, do not cross the line, adding that they should contest elections based on facts, their track records in public service and the policies they offer to the people.

The Election Commission (EC) has set November 14 as the polling day for the Melaka state election, with nomination day scheduled for Saturday (October 31) and early voting for November 10. — Bernama