Media Conference Statement by Lim Kit Siang in Ipoh on Saturday, 13^th June 2009: 

Emergency motion in Parliament on Monday to establish Royal Commission of Inquiry into RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Port (PKFZ) scandal

On Thursday, I gave notice to Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin that I will move an emergency motion in Parliament on Monday to establish a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

The notice under S.O. (18)(2) to move a motion of urgent definite public importance in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday, 15th June 2009, is as follows:

“That the House gives leave to MP for Ipoh Timor YB Lim Kit Siang to adjourn the House under S.O. 18 (1) to discuss a definite matter of urgent public importance – the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

“The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) audit report into the PKFZ made public on May 28, 2009 was most unsatisfactory as its terms of reference were restricted to “a position review” instead of wide-ranging inquiry as to how a RM1.1 billion scandal in 2002 under Tun Ling Liong Sik as Transport Minister, could more than quadruple to RM4.6 billion under Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy as Transport Minister in 2007 and now further doubled to RM7.453 billion and heading towards the figure of RM12.5 billion under the present Transport Minister!

“Although the Prime Minister had on 29th May publicly directed the Transport Minister to answer every question raised by any party on the PwC report on PKFZ, and I had been posing three questions a day on the PKFZ since 30th May, no satisfactory answers had been forthcoming from the Transport Minister.

“RM12.5 billion is not chicken-feed. It is equivalent to five RM2.5 billion BMF scandals. RM12.5 billion can be used to build 25 universities at RM500 million each; 125 hospitals at RM100 million each; 1,250 schools at RM100 million each; 312,500 low-cost houses at RM40,000 each or give everyone of the 27 million Malaysians regardless of age a payout of RM338!

“Only a Royal Commission of Inquiry, where previous Transport Ministers, PKA Chairmen and Board members, as well as the relevant government officials in can do justice for accountability and integrity in the ‘scandal of scandals’.”

One of the major personalities responsible for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal, former Transport Minister and MCA President, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik, has said that he is prepared to be summoned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to assist in the investigations into the PKFZ scandal.

This is no credit to MACC whatsoever, for it shows that nobody is worried by any MACC investigation as the MACC in its short life of five months has proved that it is no different from its predecessor, the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) as basically a toothless tiger as far as investigation into scandals involving top Barisan Nasional personalities are concerned.

This is why the instruction by the Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat to the Port Klang Authority (PKA) Chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng to submit a copy of the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) audit report on PKFZ to the MACC is so farcical and ridiculous!

Is Liong Sik prepared to support the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal?

Is Liong Sik prepared to appear before the Public Accounts Committee to assist it in its investigation into the PKFZ scandal?

Is Liong Sik in agreement that the PAC Chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid should disqualify himself and step aside in the PAC inquiry into the PKFZ scandal because of conflict of interest as he was Minister in the Cabinet which decided on the RM4.6 billion PKFZ bailout in July 2007, and that the PAC investigation into the PKFZ scandal should be conducted by the PAC Deputy Chairman, Dr. Tan Seng Giaw?

In fact, Azmi should appear before the PAC inquiry into the PKFZ scandal as a witness to explain his role in the Cabinet in July 2007 in supporting a RM4.6 billion bailout of PKFZ, instead of leading a PAC inquiry into PKFZ.

In this connection, I call on Ong Tee Keat not to emulate his predecessor as Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy, who ran away overseas to avoid a parliamentary accounting of the PKFZ in November 2007.

I understand that Ong Tee Keat is running overseas to avoid having to stand up in Parliament next week to account for the PKFZ scandal, which has become even worse than the time of Liong Sik and Kong Choy as Transport Ministers – ballooning from RM1.1 billion in 2002 to RM4.6 billion in 2007 and now reaching RM7.453 billion and heading towards RM12.453 billion.

Ong is not stupid. He knows that the PKFZ scandal, now the mother of all scandals in Malaysia, will be the No. 1 topic when Parliament reconvenes on Monday, and he deliberately schedules an overseas trip to avoid having to be in Parliament.

As MCA President, Ong should not emulate Kong Choy to run away from his Ministerial responsibility of parliamentary accountability. No Umno or MIC Minister had ever done such a thing. Why are MCA Ministers making a habit of scooting overseas to run away from a parliamentary questioning?

Ong should cancel his overseas trip, stay behind, even give his agreement for an emergency debate on the PKFZ scandal on Monday, and explain to Parliament and the nation what has he done on the PKFZ scandal in his 15 months as Transport Minister.

*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor