According to Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, reports connecting Johor Corporation (JCorp) to forest fires in Indonesia are untrue and baseless.
Onn Hafiz, in his statement as reported by Bernama, noted that no one should exploit the situation by misrepresenting the facts and giving the impression that the incident involved the state-owned investment organisation.
All sides have the right to demand responsibility and openness, he said, but these demands must be supported by solid data and facts.
The state government will keep defending JCorp’s integrity, reliability, and reputation against baseless accusations, according to JCorp Chairman Onn Hafiz.
“Claims linking JCorp to the ownership or current operation of the companies concerned, as well as to the forest fires, are false and misleading,” he said in a statement.
He added that JCorp has made it clear in an official declaration that none of the companies in its group owned or ran any plantations outside of Malaysia.
According to him, Kulim (Malaysia) Berhad sold all of its shares in two Indonesian firms on 6th July 2023, after divesting its stake in five Indonesian plantation companies through a subsidiary in 2007.
In response to a report released by the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (WALHI), JCorp released a statement yesterday refuting allegations that it is connected to Indonesian plantation companies that are allegedly involved in forest and land fires.
JCorp clarified that it did not own or operate any plantations outside Malaysia.
WALHI has claimed that 21 businesses linked to Malaysian business organisations were involved in forest and land fires in Indonesia between January and September of this year.
The findings were released in a study titled ‘Actor Mapping Analysis: Who Are Behind the Fires?’ by the organisation’s National Executive.
