Call on Abdullah as both Prime
Minister and Finance Minister to respond to urgent issues raised in the
first three days of the 2008 Budget and not delay for some two months until
early November, particularly the RM4.6 billion PKFZ bailout scandal and the
outcry over the new rip-off of e-kesihatan monopoly concession awarded to
Supremme Systems ________________
Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang
___________________
(Parliament,
Wednesday):
I call on the Prime Minister,
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also the Finance Minister, to
respond to urgent issues raised in the first three days of the 2008 Budget
and not to delay for some two months until early November � particularly
on pressing public interest issues like the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free
Zone bailout scandal and the outcry over the new rip-off of the e-kesihatan
monopoly concession awarded to Supremme Systems Sdn. Bhd without tender.
The Dewan Rakyat will adjourn for a 39-day break over the fasting month
and Hari Raya holidays, resuming on October 22. This would mean that the
13-day general debate for the 2008 Budget before the ministerial reply
would be broken up into two parts, three days this week and 10 days from
22nd October to 6th November, with Ministers beginning their reply on
November 7, 2007.
There is something very wrong with the whole notion that issues raised in
Parliament during the first three days of the 2008 Budget this week are
only answered by Ministers two months later � especially with regard to
pressing public interest issues demanding immediate response and action,
particularly urgent matters like the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PFKZ)
bailout scandal and the outcry over the new rip-off of the e-kesihatan
monopoly concession awarded to Supremme Systems Sdn. Bhd without tender.
Accountability, transparency, integrity and good governance principles
demand instant end of the government�s denial syndrome both in and outside
Parliament about the RM4.6 billion PKFZ bailout scandal � particularly at
a time when the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers are trying to assure
Malaysians that they meant business and would not brook any hanky-panky
following the shocking exposes of the pervasive culture of impunity,
corruption, waste and mismanagement of public funds in the 2006
Auditor-General�s Report.
Abdullah said in Kuching yesterday that he had directed all Cabinet
ministers to go through the Auditor-General�s report in detail and to
fully explain anything that is questionable.
He said: "During the last cabinet meeting, before I left for the APEC
(Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation) meeting, I had directed all ministers
to check matters pertaining to their respective ministries and report to
the cabinet. Ministers must ensure that each matter raised in the
Auditor-General�s report is studied and explained in detail."
Several questions immediately come to mind. From Abdullah�s own
revelation, the first time that the Auditor-General�s Report was discussed
in the Cabinet was last Wednesday (Sept. 5) before he left for the APEC
meeting in Melbourne.
But why had the Prime Minister and the Cabinet �slept� for over two months
on the 2006 Auditor-General�s report when the Auditor-General�s Report
into the 2006 Federal Government accounts were completed on 28th June 2007
and would have been submitted to the government shortly after.
Secondly, were the Ministers unaware and not responsible for the responses
which had been given by the various Ministries and departments to the
Auditor-General�s Report, which had been tabled in Parliament last week in
the form of a Treasury memorandum together with the 2006 Auditor-General�s
Report � many of which had been found to be very unsatisfactory and even
unacceptable?
Thirdly, although the 2006 Auditor-General�s Report unveiled a catalogue
of horror stories of pervasive waste and mismanagement of public funds,
like the payment of RM224 for a RM32 set of screwdrivers, paying RM1,146
for a set of pens costing RM160, paying RM5,700 for a car jack worth RM50,
the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) paying RM5.59
million in advance to 4,183 students who did not apply for a loan, or the
escalation of costs because of mismanagement and delays in the
construction of six high-tech offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) by a whopping
RM1.4 billion, they are either chicken-feed or comparatively minor when
compared to a mega scandal like the RM4.6 billion PKFZ bailout scandal.
This is why I had asked in Parliament yesterday that if the Prime Minister
and Cabinet could condone mega-scandals like the RM4.6 billion PKFZ
bailout scandal, how could it be taken seriously that action would be
taken against comparatively minor offences by public servants as
highlighted by the 2006 Auditor-Genera�s Report although the abuse and
mismanagement of public funds are still in millions or tens of millions of
ringgit?
This is why if Abdullah really wants to send a clear message that he would
not condone any further hanky-panky with public funds in government, then
an example must be made against Cabinet Ministers, past and present, who
had abused their powers and acted unlawfully, forcing the government to
bail out the RM4.6 billion Port Klang Free Zone project when firm
assurances had been given that the project would not need a single ringgit
of public funds.
Otherwise, the assurance given by the Prime Minister yesterday at the
Forbes Global CEO Conference in Singapore that his government would not
bailout privately funded mega infrastructure projects that have failed
would have no meaning whatsoever � as it would have been proved false by
the RM4.6 billion PKFZ bailout scandal.
(12/9/2007)
* Lim
Kit Siang, Parliamentary
Opposition Leader, MP for Ipoh Timur & DAP Central Policy and Strategic
Planning Commission Chairman |