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Press Statement

by Lim Kit Siang  
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(Parliament, Wednesday) : The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should explain why there is no open tender for the RM250 million Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) flyover link to the Johore Causeway as the Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu had “passed the buck” to the Cabinet. 

Furthermore, it runs contrary to his reform pledge of a new integrity of governance and repeated call for accountability and transparency through open tenders in award of  government contracts.

When queried in Parliament during question-time yesterday, Samy Vellu said the decision to award the RM250 million contract to Gerbang Perdana Sdn. Bhd.was a Cabinet decision and that the Cabinet took two hours to discuss this problem because the new CIQ complex is due to open in September.

Samy Vellu said: “We cannot wait for another 24 or 30 months for the work to be completed. We have spent more than RM2 billion for the CIQ, we cannot wait for another 12, 14 or 15 months.”  (Sun)

This led me to further question Samy Vellu why he was giving a different answer from the previous  day when I had also quizzed him why there was no open tender for the new RM250 million CIQ contract – as Samy Vellu’s  claim  that there would be  a delay of 12 to 30 months if open tender was called was different from what he said one day earlier when he  had talked about a  delay of six to nine months.

Samy Vellu refused to give a proper reply for the contradiction and inconsistency, resulting in a “shouting match” between Barisan Nasional and DAP MPs.  In response to my charge that he was running away from the issue, Samy Vellu declared with much chest-thumping and bravado that he was prepared to handle not just 250 questions but even 2,000 questions coming from me.

I then invited him to a Q-and-A session before the media  immediately after question time at 11 am.  Although Samy Vellu indicated  agreement at the time, he excused himself from the Q-and-A session after question-time at 11 am on the ground that he had a prior engagement at  his Ministry which he had to keep.

I am extending to Samy Vellu a  standing invitation  to a Q-and-A before the media, for there are many unanswered questions both  about the RM1.1 billion crooked half-bridge project and the new RM250 million CIQ contract awarded to Gerbang Perdana without open tender.

In his parliamentary replies in the last two days, Samy Vellu had tripped up on at least three glaring inconsistencies:

• His contradictory claims of 6-9 months delay on Monday and 24-30 months delay on Tuesday if there is open tender for the RM250 million CIQ flyover link;

• Samy Vellu said yesterday that there cannot be anymore delay as “we have spent more than RM2 billion for the CIQ”.  This is news to me, as all along the cost of the CIQ was given as RM1.2 billion.  With the cancellation of the crooked half bridge, Samy Vellu has told Parliament that the only outstanding item was the RM100 million compensation to Gerbang Perdana, details of which are still be worked out.  Where does Samy Vellu’s figure of “more than RM2 billion” come from?  Are there hidden mega-expenditures in connection with the crooked half-bridge and CIQ which Parliament and the public have not been apprised of?

• Samy Vellu said that the Cabinet decided to award the RM250 million contract to Gerbang Perdana without open tender because the new CIQ complex is due to be open in September.  Samy Vellu had misled Parliament.  Utusan Malaysia today reported on the postponement of the scheduled dates for the operation of the CIQ in Bukit Cagar, i.e. completion  in September and operational in January next year. It quoted the Public Works Department CIQ Construction Manager, Ir. Ng Ah Kow, on the postponement to a new unspecified date the  completion and operation of CIQ, depending on the work schedule of the new  RM250 million flyover contract.

With these contradictions and inconsistencies as well as many unanswered questions about the CIQ and the cancelled crooked half-bridge, it is no surprise that Samy Vellu ran away from the Q-and-A session immediately after question- time yesterday, despite his bravado boast  to answer “not just 250 questions, but 2,000 questions”!

Let me assure Samy Vellu that I will not have 2,000 or even 250 questions but only about a dozen questions – and he has to honour his bravado boast to a Q-and-A media session on the CIQ and crooked half bridge.

(26/04/2006)