On the last day of September, Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng asked the anti-graft agency to look into Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, pointing to a RM2.1 billion gap between what the rural development ministry was approved to spend and what it actually spent across 2023 to 2025. The call arrives in the shadow of a recent case at UiTM Holdings, where public money was moved without proper clearance, and Lim argues that the standard applied there must apply equally at the top of government. Whether the same measure of accountability is extended to a senior political figure is the quiet question
Lim Guan Eng urges MACC to probe Zahid over RM2.1b KKDW overspending, citing UiTM case
A former senior corporate executive in his 50s was arrested at his Klang Valley residence on Sept 28 over the UiTM Holdings case.
Same standards for KKDW as for UiTM, or risk accusations of double standards
Mark
So what exactly is Lim asking for?
Mimi
He wants the MACC to investigate Deputy Prime Minister Zahid over what he says is RM2.1 billion in overspending at KKDW between 2023 and 2025.
Mark
And where do those numbers come from?
Mimi
He says they are Finance Ministry figures: RM1.8 billion spent against RM1.1 billion in 2023, RM2 billion against RM1.3 billion in 2024, and RM2.3 billion against RM1.6 billion in 2025.
Luke
Worth noting that those are Lim's citations. He is an opposition-side figure, and the report doesn't include a KKDW or Zahid response to the figures.
Mark
Why bring up UiTM?
Mimi
It is his yardstick. The MACC just arrested a former senior executive in the UiTM Holdings case, and Lim says the same rigor should apply to KKDW.
Luke
But the cases differ on what the report shows. In UiTM, there is an arrest and a suspected abuse of power under Section 23. For KKDW, there is an allegation of overspending, and nothing here says anyone has been accused of gratification or personal gain.
Mark
So is the comparison fair?
Mimi
It is an argument, not a finding. Lim frames it around consistency and the risk of looking selective.
Luke
Right, and whether overspending is itself an offence is his claim that it could warrant enforcement. The report doesn't say which law applies. What we know next is only that the UiTM suspect is due in court Thursday.
Der Puls
- A DAP veteran has publicly challenged the Deputy Prime Minister, putting a serious accusation of overspending on the national record.
- Lim's figures show the gap widening each year, from RM700 million in 2023 to a RM2.1 billion total, sharpening the political heat.
- The comparison to the UiTM probe turns the debate into a test of whether enforcement is applied evenly across powerful offices.
- A former corporate executive arrested in the Klang Valley is due in court Thursday, keeping the UiTM matter in the headlines as pressure builds.
- The MACC has yet to respond to Lim's request, and the next moves will show whether the agency will open a probe or let the call fade.
On the last day of September, Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng asked the anti-graft agency to look into Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, pointing to a RM2.1 billion gap between what the rural development ministry was approved to spend and what it actually spent across 2023 to 2025. The call arrives in the shadow of a recent case at UiTM Holdings, where public money was moved without proper clearance, and Lim argues that the standard applied there must apply equally at the top of government. Whether the same measure of accountability is extended to a senior political figure is the quiet question now waiting for an answer.
On Sept 30, Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng, a DAP advisor, called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi over spending at the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, known as KKDW. Drawing on figures he attributes to the Finance Ministry, Lim says the ministry spent RM1.8 billion in 2023 against an approved RM1.1 billion, RM2 billion in 2024 against RM1.3 billion, and RM2.3 billion in 2025 against RM1.6 billion. The total overrun, he says, comes to RM2.1 billion, all during Zahid's tenure, and he calls the conduct irresponsible and a breach of financial rules.
Lim's argument rests on the UiTM Holdings case. Parliament's Public Accounts Committee found that about RM260 million was channelled into the company between 2007 and 2018 without Treasury clearance, and that RM42 million meant for a solar project was diverted to other expenses. He warns that if the MACC hesitates to act against Zahid because of his position, it risks charges of selective prosecution and double standards.
The statement came just after the MACC arrested a former senior corporate executive in his 50s at his Klang Valley home on Sept 28. He is accused of approving about RM42 million in payments in 2017 to companies in which he had a beneficial interest, and is expected in court this Thursday. The MACC has not yet responded to Lim's call, and that silence, along with Thursday's hearing, will show how the agency weighs the request.
On Sept 30, Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng put out a statement asking the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to open an investigation into Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. The subject is what Lim describes as a RM2.1 billion budget overrun at the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development, known as KKDW.
Lim, who is a DAP advisor, built his case on figures he attributes to the Finance Ministry. In 2023, KKDW spent RM1.8 billion against an approved RM1.1 billion. In 2024, it spent RM2 billion against RM1.3 billion. In 2025, it spent RM2.3 billion against RM1.6 billion. Lim says the overspending adds up to RM2.1 billion over the three years, all while Zahid was rural and regional development minister, and that no unapproved overspending of this kind happened before 2023.
He called the conduct irresponsible because it breaches existing financial procedures and regulations, and said it could warrant enforcement under the relevant laws. He argued that decisive action is needed to deter other federal ministries from similar fiscal breaches.
The comparison Lim draws is with Universiti Teknologi MARA. He wants the MACC to hold KKDW to the same standard it applied in its recent UiTM probe. Parliament's Public Accounts Committee found that UiTM management channelled about RM260 million into its investment arm, UiTM Holdings, in stages between 2007 and 2018 without the Treasury's clearance. The company posted accumulated losses of RM157.04 million across the 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021 financial years. The committee also found that RM42 million meant for a 50-megawatt solar project in Gambang, Pahang, was diverted to unrelated operational expenses without the approval of the company's board.
Lim warned that if the MACC hesitates to act against Zahid and KKDW because of his high position, it risks accusations of selective prosecution and double standards. He said such inaction would be fundamentally unfair to UiTM's management. He also said strict governance is needed to protect UiTM's enlarged 2026 allocation of RM3.08 billion.
The statement followed enforcement action in the UiTM Holdings matter. The MACC confirmed that a former senior corporate executive in his 50s was arrested at his home in the Klang Valley on Sept 28, and he is expected to be charged in court this Thursday. Preliminary investigations indicate he allegedly approved operational expense payments in 2017 of about RM42 million to several companies in which he held a beneficial interest.
MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abd Halim Aman confirmed the arrest. He said the case is being investigated under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009, which covers abuse of power to obtain gratification.
Two things are worth watching: whether the MACC responds publicly to Lim's call on KKDW, and what happens when the UiTM suspect appears in court on Thursday.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Such conduct is irresponsible as it violates existing financial procedures and regulations, which could warrant enforcement under the relevant laws.— Lim Guan Eng, Bagan MP
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