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All Ministers should emulate Samy Vellu and hold consultation sessions with MPs on the  9th Malaysia Plan projects  and proposals which come under their purview to usher in a new reform era of greater accountability, transparency and good governance   Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Parliament, Monday): Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu deserves plaudit  for a commendable step forward towards greater accountability, transparency and good governance with his innovative announcement yesterday to hold a consultative forum on infrastructure projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) with Members of Parliament.  Samy Vellu said his  ministry would  also set up a Consultative Council to act as an information centre on 9MP projects for MPs and political parties, including the opposition. All Ministers should emulate Samy Vellu and hold consultation sessions with MPs on the  9th Malaysia Plan projects  and proposals which come under the purview of their respective Ministries to usher in a new reform era of greater accountability, transparency and good governance, in line with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's call for all ministries to be more open and transparent and adopt a consultative approach with the people, especially the elected representatives.  Just as “one swallow does not make a summer”, one MPs consultation forum by one Ministry does not create a more consultative governance, the Cabinet should take a policy decision to institutionalize the consultative approach in all aspects and stages of the policy  decision-making process – involving MPs and the civil society not only after a policy decision has been taken and a bill finalized to be “rubber-stamped” by Parliament, but even in the earlier stages of policy discussion and formulation.  Samy Vellu said his ministry would present at the MPs consultation forum all the infrastructure projects recommended for implementation to the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) in the Prime Minister's Department, giving  details of each project, its viability and also the cost involved.  The projects will include roads, maintenance of roads, highways, bridges, buildings and services provided by the ministry. MPs should be given the relevant information on the proposed 9MP  infrastructure projects before the forum to give time for MPs to study them and to give considered responses, instead of being presented with the information at the forum itself which would not be conducive to a meaningful and productive consultation forum.  The Opposition will fully co-operate with Samy Vellu to make the first MPs’ consultation forum a success.  (31/1/2005) * Lim Kit Siang, Parliamentary Opposition Leader, MP for Ipoh Timur & DAP Central Policy and Strategic Planning Commission Chairman