‘Preserve harmony in govt'
PASIR SALAK: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has advised all political leaders to distinguish between legal and political matters to preserve harmony within the government.
Action must be taken in cases of legal violations, while political disputes should be resolved through proper channels, he said.
'We do not want any incident to force a political decision to be made, as this could disrupt the unity among the 18 parties in the Madani government. In my view, we must separate legal matters from political matters,' he said yesterday after officiating 'Program Santunan Desa' organised by the Community Development Department (Kemas) in Perak.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president, urged all quarters to respect party decisions to maintain tolerance among component parties.
'Do not sensationalise an issue or try to become the most popular figure, only to end up damaging good relations between party leaders and at the grassroots level,' he added, Bernama reported.
At another event, he said Felcra Bhd had continued to make history in strengthening national food security through the commercialisation of Felcra's MRQ 107 padi – a local fragrant rice variety that serves as a high-quality alternative to imported fragrant rice.
Ahmad Zahid said the Seberang Perak area, covering more than 3,400ha and cultivated using modern methods by Felcra, has shown encouraging performance with an average yield reaching eight metric tonnes per hectare annually.
'We expect production to exceed 27,000 metric tonnes of padi, equivalent to over 16,000 metric tonnes of rice per year, which can meet the needs of thousands of families. Hopefully, this becomes an example for other padi farmers,' he said at the 2025 First Interim Distributable Profit Declaration Ceremony for Felcra Bhd participant projects here yesterday.
Also present were Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Rubiah Wang and Felcra Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Idris Lasim.
Ahmad Zahid said Felcra Bhd recorded a profit of RM178mil between Jan to April 2025, an increase compared to the previous year.
Of this amount, RM101mil will be distributed to 74,300 participants nationwide in stages.
'I congratulate Felcra Bhd for successfully maintaining a strong performance, with an increase of nearly RM2mil compared to the same period last year. I will be monitoring the profit distribution to all participants across the country,' he said.
Idris said the strong performance of the first interim distribution for 2025 was due to several key factors, including efficient estate management and the implementation of cost-saving measures.
'Through effective approaches in the use of fertilisers, pesticides and farm inputs, operational costs were reduced by 15% and yield per hectare increased by 49%,' he said.
Idris also said Felcra's palm oil projects recorded an average net profit increase of 81%.
While profit distribution rates are influenced by crude palm oil price trends, he said improvements in estate performance remain the primary determining factor.
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