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Government accountability scandal on the long list of failed government infrastructure projects, PMC and non-PMC, running into tens of billions of ringgit under Eighth Malaysia Plan since 2000, has become a parliamentary scandal on the inability of MPs to hold the Executive to scrutiny and account after more than a week to Dewan Rakyat meeting   Media Conference statement by Lim Kit Siang (Parliament House, Monday): I have today received a letter from the Speaker, Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib rejecting my initiative under Standing Order 18 to move an urgent motion in the Dewan Rakyat on the long list of failed government infrastructure development projects, Project Management Consultants (PMC) and non-PMC, running into tens of billions of ringgit under the Eighth Malaysia Plan since 2000.  Last Friday, I submitted notice to the Speaker on my intention to raise a motion of urgent definite public importance, as follows:   “That the House gives leave to  Ketua Pembangkang YB Lim Kit Siang to adjourn the House under S.O. 18 (1) to discuss a definite matter of  urgent public importance –  government accountability to Parliament on  the failed Project Management Consultants (PMC) and non-PMC infrastructure development projects under the Eighth Malaysia Plan since 2000, affecting projects like MATRADE Building, highways, schools, hospitals, etc.   “At stake are not only the principles of accountability, transparency and good governance and the pledge of the Prime Minister to lead a clean, incorruptible, efficient and trustworthy government, but the credibility of Parliament to transform itself into a First-World Parliament capable of effectively holding the government to account through scrutiny and to ensure that the voice of Malaysians can be heard in the highest deliberative chamber of the land.   “Parliament had met for a week but had disappointed Malaysians for it had signally failed to address the most burning issue in the country - the long list of PMC and non-PMC government infrastructure development projects which run into tens of billions of ringgit, symbolic of gross  absence of Ministerial and government responsibility in the stewardship of public projects and expenditures.    “Efforts in the past week, whether requests for White Paper or ministerial statement,  question without notice or priority to debate private member motion on the subject had failed to bring the issue to the centre of parliamentary attention.    “PMC internationally represents a new profession to ensure that development  projects are completed faster, within budget and of high quality but in Malaysia it appears to have  become a byword for a new scam, a new form of cheating public funds,  with projects ending up with higher cost, taking longer time and with inferior quality.   “Parliament must live up to its paramount duty to stop such scandals and malpractices.” In rejecting my urgent motion, Ramli wrote in his letter:   “Perkara yang dikemukakan oleh Yang Berhormat itu memanglah satu perkara yang tertentu dan adalah kepentingan orang ramai. Walau bagaimana pun saya difahamkan bahawa pihak Kementerian Kewangan telah  mengambil tindakah sewajarnya yang mana melalui Surat Pekeliling Perbendaharaan (SPP) Bil. 2 Tahun 2004, semua projek Kerajaan telah diambil selia oleh Agensi Teknikal Kerajaan dan bagi projek-projek yang masih berjalan yang diselia oleh PMC, Kementerian Kewangan telah meminta agensi pelaksana untuk membuat penyeliaan yang lebih ketat agar projek tersebut dapat disiapkan mengikut jadual. Tindakan akan diambil keatas PMC yang bermasalah berlandasan syarat-syarat kontrak.   “Yang demikian tiada ada apa-apa masalah yang hendak dibincangkan dalam usul Yang Berhormat kerana semua yang dinyatakan oleh Yang Berhormat telah diambil tindakan oleh pihak Kerajaan. Oleh itu perkara ini tidak perlu disegerakan.” I find the reasoning given by the Speaker as to why there is no urgency to address the long list of failed government infrastructure projects, both PMC and non-PMC, running into tens of billions of ringgit, completely unsatisfactory and unacceptable.  The Speaker seems to have very low standards of government accountability and very lax rules for government stewardship of public funds, as any conscientious and responsible MP would have rejected the two reasoning which had clearly been given by the Executive  to fob off the request for an urgent debate in Parliament on the issue, as they are nothing but “red herrings” and very weak excuses.   In any event, it is for the Ministers concerned, whether the Finance Minister or Works Minister, to come to Parliament to give these ridiculous excuses to ascertain whether they stand pass muster of Parliamentary scrutiny – and not for the Speaker to act as the spokesman of the Minister concerned to say things which the Speaker has no personal knowledge whatsoever as to their truth or otherwise.     The gravity of the long list of failed government infrastructure projects, PMC and non-PMC, is illustrated by the revelation by the Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu during the  Roundtable Discussion of Presidents and Chief Executives in the Construction Industry in Kuala Lumpur on June 23, 2003, where he said that in 2002, the value of projects implemented by the Government was about RM23.5 billion, with the PWD handling RM7 billion worth, or 30 per cent of the projects, while the balance of RM16.5 billion were given out to PMCs.  From this amount, only 30% of the projects managed by the PMCs were completed within schedule.    If for the year 2002 alone, some RM16.5 billion worth of government infrastructure projects were given to PMCs, this would mean that for the Eighth Malaysia Plan since 2,000 some RM50 billion worth of infrastructure developments had been handled by the PMCs.   As the Gerakan President and Minister for Energy, Water and Communications, Datuk Seri Lim Keng Yaik said last Saturday: “How can the Government be shortchanged?  Those responsible should be made answerable for these sub-standard projects.”   Unfortunately, Keng Yaik did not raise the PMC scandal in the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, raising grave questions about the accountability of the government infrastructure projects, both PMC and non-PMC, whether in Cabinet or Parliament.   In Parliament during the committee stage debate on the Works Ministry last month, there were Barisan Nasional backbenchers like the MP for Kinabatangan, Bung Moktar, MP for Labuan Suhaili Abdul Rahman, MP for Batu Kawan Huan Cheng Guan, and even  MP for Jerai, Badruddin Amiruidin , who called for the resignation of Samy Vellu as Works Minister for the long list of failed government infrastructure projects involving MATRADE Building, highways, schools and hospitals.   I am surprised that   these and other  Barisan Nasional MPs have not spoken up  to demand full government accountability to Parliament on the long list of failed government infrastructure development projects, both PMC and non-PMC.   With the Speaker’s unfair ruling, government accountability scandal on the long list of failed government infrastructure projects, PMC and non-PMC, running into tens of billions of ringgit under Eighth Malaysia Plan since 2000, has become a parliamentary scandal on the inability of MPs to hold the Executive to scrutiny and account after  more than a week to Dewan Rakyat meeting.   This is most unsatisfactory, and one area where parliamentary reform is urgently needed. I will move a substantive motion which requires two day’s notice to review the Speaker’s decision rejecting my S.O. 18 motion, as the Speaker’s rejection is wrong, misguided and against efforts to transform the Malaysian Parliament into a First-World Parliament to effectively hold the government to account. (29/11/2004) * Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader, MP for Ipoh Timur & DAP Central Policy and Strategic Planning Commission Chairman