SHAH ALAM, January 23 – Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the state government was proven to be extremely transparent when documents alleging he had ordered the purchase of 46 sacrificial cows were received by opposition leader Dato’ Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo.

“He (Dr Khir) says that the state government is not transparent but this is not true, because even he received those documents,” he said to reporters when asked to comment on the former menteri besar’s statement, yesterday.

“I do not know if the documents are valid or not but if he has received them from the state offices then it means the state government is transparent,” he said.

Asked to comment on the opposition leader’s calls for him to vacate the office of menteri besar until the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Comission (MACC) finishes conducting investigations, he said the issue did not arise.

Abdul Khalid said this after witnessing the handing over of contributions for the humanitarian mission to Palestine by the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj to Vice President 3, Yayasan Amal Selangor, Dr Halimah Ali at the Istana Bukit Kayangan this morning.

Today’s newspaper reports also mentioned that Dr Mohamad Khir received evidence claiming Abdul Khalid who is also Member of Parliament for Bandar Tun Razak ordered Selangor Industrial Corporation Sdn Bhd to finance the purchase of the sacrificial cows for distribution in his constituency.

Abdul Khalid had previously stressed the state government’s funds had not been used to purchase the cows, as they had instead been donated by six  subsidiary and affiliated companies of the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS).

It is understood that the companies had sponsored the purchase out of their own sense of social corporate responsibility, without following instructions from anyone in the state government.

In fact, he himself did not know which companies were involved in the purchase. – NOOR ALLIA KASSIM