The Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid should stand down in the PAC inquiry into the new Middle Ring Road (MRR)2 flyover cracks as the decision-making on the repairs of the RM238 million MRR2 by the previous Cabinet in 2006, of which he was a member, should also be the subject of current PAC investigations as well.
Azmi had announced after the PAC meeting this morning that the PAC will visit the defective MRR2 flyover in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow morning, two weeks after clumps of concrete and carbon fibre panels fell from the highway pillar into the path of the oncoming cars below.
It is not only most invidious, improper but also a clear and flagrant conflict-of-interest for Azmi to now preside over an investigation into the two-year RM70 million repairs of the six-year RM238 MRR2, including an examination of the rationale and justification for the final Cabinet decision on its repairs when he was a member of that Cabinet – as the whole repair decision-making process at various stages of decision-making, including at the Cabinet level, raises many disturbing questions about their propriety and wisdom.
I had raised in the previous Parliament the intense turf war between the then Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and the Public Works Department director-general, about how, the costs and who should be awarded the contract to carry out the MRR2 repairs, and how the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had to personally intervene to resolve the matter by convening a special meeting on a Friday on 3rd February 2006, which was attended by among others the second Finance Minister, Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakcob and the then Chief Secretary Tan Sri Samsudin Osman.
Samy Vellu won the battle against the PWD at the Feb. 3 meeting but eventually lost the war. Although Samy Vellu announced after the meeting that the MRR2 repair work would be supervised by the British-based consultants Halcrow, maintaining that the costs would be RM18 million, the turf war was finally won by the PWD at a Cabinet meeting two weeks later which upheld the PWD’s recommendation in awarding the repair work to German consulting firm Leonhardt Andra and Partners (LAP) at a cost of RM40 million, which later mushroomed mysteriously to RM70 million!
In its current investigations into the new MRR2 flyover cracks, Azmi should turn witness at the PAC meeting by giving a full account of how many Cabinet meetings had been held to discuss the MRR2 repairs from 2004-2006, why the contract for the repairs was finally awarded to LAP instead of Halcrow, and the more-than-triple the original repair costs from RM18 million to RM70 million.
The PAC of the previous Parliament met at least six times over the MRR2 cracks since 2004 but to very little purpose.
It raised many questions which to date have been ignored by the various departments. Furthermore, a study of the PAC records indicate that some public officials had also committed parliamentary contempt in concealing important information from and misleading the PAC in its investigations into the MRR2 flyover cracks scandal.
Will another PAC meeting into the MRR2 flyover in Kepong make any difference this time?
The PAC of the previous Parliament was repeatedly assured by the Works Ministry and the Public Works Department that the MRR2 contractor Bumi Highway would have to pay for the full repairs cost, i.e. RM70 million.
But this is an empty assurance, as up to now the bill had been foot in full by the Malaysian taxpayers and not a single sen had been paid by Bumi Highway.
This should be one area which PAC should investigate to demand Cabinet accountability and responsibility – and why it is improper for Azmi to be involved in the current PAC investigations because he was a member of the previous Cabinet and should be in the dock!
For this reason, the current PAC investigations into the new MRR2 flyover cracks should be chaired by the Deputy PAC Chairman, Dr. Tan Seng Giaw (MP for Kepong).
It there any hope with these UMNO leaders? The MRR2 was already an issue long time back but BN Ministers refused to accept responsibility.
The Parliament repair issue is also same. The BN Govt. only knows how to spend more money but is least bothered to ensure building highest quality. The thieves cannot milk the cow.
Look at the latest case by a supplier of election materials that UMNO lost. Badawi is saying it was BN not UMNO. It is like saying my left hand took the bribe, so why blame the right hand?
really boleh! a country of this kind of standard that cannot build a proper highway, yet we can have man in space
If Semi-Value as the Minister of Works those days can say, “It is none of my business” when informed of cracks in the Kepong Flyover, what else would you expect BN leaders to do? In any other democratic nation, such ministers would have packed up and resigned but he was thick skin enough to stay on until he was finally rejected by his contituency.
Worse if he had been in China, where the one and only punishment for corruption is a bullet through the skull!
You put the fox back into the henhouse so that the fox can finish covering the tracks.
1. …..at a cost of RM40 million, which later mushroomed mysteriously to RM70 million!
2. ……not a single sen had been paid by Bumi Highway.
Items 1 and 2 above clear reflect the lack of accountability and transparency of Abdullah’s government.
yhsiew Says:
Today at 19: 12.13 (4 minutes ago)
CORRECTION:
Items 1 and 2 above CLEARLY reflect…….
Hold on, if the current PAC investigation into the new MRR2 flyover cracks is to be chaired by the Deputy PAC Chairman, Dr. Tan Seng Giaw (MP for Kepong), then a lot of BN people’s easy income will be blocked. Mana boleh?
Most of BN’s projects terribly lack transparency, this is one of it,it only comes to light, when the ‘crack’ shows up.
Typical of BN style of management,actually mismanagement. At the mention of anything ‘Bumi’, we are scared. Almost synonymous
with ‘squanderers’.
Who is made to pay for this, the rakyat, who else.
Now the blame game will begin and nobody will take the responsibility for screwing up public trust.
Can Pakatan show the way to these irresponsible guys.
Dear Lord! If what YB has stated is true, if our country continue in this manner, we are doomed!
There are so many concerns, I’m not sure I’ll be able to list them all.
1. $18m original cost ballooning to $40m, and then finally $70m!!! What repair cost is this? Someone should be sacked! If this happens in the private sector, someone would be sacked!
2. “… Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi … personally intervene … attended by among others the second Finance Minister, Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakcob and the then Chief Secretary Tan Sri Samsudin Osman….” So many “power house”, yet the end result is $18m ballooning to $40m and then to $70m???
3. Now, we have the fox (Azmi) to guard the hen house? Blatant conflict of interest!
4. “It raised many questions which to date have been ignored by the various departments.” If you don’t want to answer questions, simply ignore them???
5. “… a study of the PAC records indicate that some public officials had also committed parliamentary contempt in concealing important information from and misleading the PAC in its investigations …” Conceal and mislead???
6. “The PAC of the previous Parliament was repeatedly assured by the Works Ministry and the Public Works Department that the MRR2 contractor Bumi Highway would have to pay for the full repairs cost, i.e. RM70 million…” And now, the entire bill of $70m has been footed by taxpayers instead???
Come on PM!
Sit Azmi out in this PAC investigation immediately!
Replace him with someone competent and independent!
If not, just save taxpayer’s monies and don’t bother to waste any more money, because we know what the outcome of that investigation is going to be!!!
Old Observer.
PAC is just an eye-wash like everything associated with the BN.
The best thing is to boot the BN out and put them on trial for ruining the country.
MRR2 is a dangerous rubbish structure that may collapse any day.
When Bumi Highway built the MRR2, I noticed the speed they built the side span from pouring in the concrete to putting on the precast concrete blocks, all within 3-4 weeks at most.
With such huge cement block, how long does it take for the concrete to harden and cure before proceeding loading the side span?
Smart tunnel tunnel sidewall should be about 2 feet thick and they cure them for 1 month (RTM1). MRR2 is much more thicker.
How can it not crack?
Why PAC, what power does PAC have? Why not ACA? But then I guess ACA who also lead to nothing.
Definitely we are doomed.These days almost everyone complain of higher cost of living and are therefore subject to lower standard of living.The purchasing power of many households have dropped significantly due to higher prices of goods and services.The rakyat are now suffering.The deteriorating economy is largely due to decades of bad governance,lack of transparency and accountablity and rampant corruption.
again the MRR2 in trouble. Looks like more repairs and more $$$ going into somebody’s pocket. The last repair cost RM70 million. How much will it cost now? How come the original cost was supposed to be RM40 million and it shot up to RM70 million. What a joke! Nobody asking the ACA to investigate this fiasco This country’s BN politicians really BOLEH!
Greetings!
I think Dr. Tan is the right person to lead the investigation team as he is the veteran in Kepong and witnessed the cracks since it’s happened.
The question is whether he is invited? What else can we say…
yes, MP for kepong is the more suitable person to chair the investigating committee..
Don’t forget that Samy Vellu once said, “Cannot say it is design fault. The designer reserves the right to sue anyone who says it is design fault”
(Old.observer Says:
Today at 20: 18.23 (1 hour ago)
Dear Lord! If what YB has stated is true, if our …….!
There are so many concerns, I’m………
1. $18m original cost ballooning to $40m, and then finally $70m!!! What repair cost is this? Someone should be sacked! If this happens in the private sector, someone would be sacked!)
If this happens in the private sector, someone would not only be sacked, but also may be charged in Court. He may also get a few strokes of the cane for CBT!
What can we expect when robbers take care of the national coffers?
Nobody in BN would step down for wrong doings, as far as I can remember. Many will say, “Not our culture to step down”.
No shame at all!
Well said MrSmith! that’s why Azmi stated that he would not call samy vellu for questioning, coz most likely the splitting of funds and so forth went everywhere……..what a pity our citizens were fooled, but let it be no more! so no to corrupt politicians
the repairs costed 40 million but shot up to 70 million. common even kids can do the simple math. what happened to 30 million, well have a rough guess. when summoning the ministry of works, the vips need a cut mah. So 30 million small change, malaysians pay tax mah, give to these idiots la. after all vips right.
PLundering Account Committee
Don’t always look at the dark side of UMNO.
The bright side is they are very good in cheating the rakyat and yet they are not caught. They were still voted to run the country every 5 years for 51 years.
Who is more stupid? Rakyat or UMNO!
Our country is going to the DOGs…
We don’t expect Malaysian Leaders to have that much pride, do we?
In western countries we could see ministers and leaders without being advised would resign whenever they are found to be at fault. But Malaysians are special. You have to prove them wrong or guilty at their court which always find them right.
As we know their court could not hear us.
what do we hate more than stupid cops? yes, dirty cops!
the Star reported 10 more cops were hauled in on charges of syabu theft. and one lance corporal was found dead with gun shot wound in a plantation. applaud the ones doing the hauling, but shame on the entire police force for having such low life people we called protectors of the rakyat.
good job musa, albar, aab, najib!
I guess there are many smart technical Engineer who stays around Kepong that know why the MRR2 failed. Why not get their comment? Instead people go and look for Samy Velu. What does he knows about Technical? He only knows about act of God….
Azmi to make way for others in the ongoing investigation of MRR2 because of conflict?
MRR2 is a piece of engineering problem of astronomical scale. It could well end up being demolished. Who wants the responsibility of recommending demolition and reconstruction?
Let him, Samy, Liong Sik and Mahathir do it!
Let us have hantu vs hantu and see what happens.
By the look of thing in Malaysia Boleh!, Azmi is on the way to get a big promotion!!!
The recent case of the racist teacher who uttered racist slurs, well, the history teacher ‘gets rewarded’!!!
hahahahaha
you want more Malaysia Boleh! jokes?
MCA always claims that every policies and everything whatsoever is made collectively in BN. read yesterday’s thestar when that dumbo bimbo mca minister said that it was anwar and anwar alone who wanted toll in permatang pauh?
hahahaha if i were to help campaign in permatang pauh, i would surely have huge posters on whatsoever that’s claimed by MCA that ALL DECISIONS AND POLICIES MADE ARE COLLECTIVE UNDER BN. and as if to rub it in, i would also want to tell the voters that that ……. ‘Look here ppl, we MCA have no balls. Whatever UMNO wants, UMNO gets’ …
BTW, why isn’t anyone pressuring the Barang Naik government to immediately reduce fuel prices?
Oil now at US114/barrel means petrol should be at RM2.36/litre pump price taken into account deliver, cost and ’30 sen subsidy’ (betul ke ada subsidi?)
I wont be and we should not be so critical if only MRR2 that has got problem among all the failed mega projects carried out by BN govt. But this is one of those that failed, over spent and had been repaired and yet failed again!!!
YB,
It is time to propose proportional compensation by those who make bad decision i.e. Cabinet to pay 10%, Minister to pay 30%, BN to pay 20%, the Minister’s party pay 20%, the Ministry’s DG to pay 10%, the Ministry’s high ranking officers to pay 10%.
For the case of spending RM70 million, the Semi Value Minister responsible should pay RM21 million. If they purposely increase the repair cost or compensation amount even higher, they would have to pay even more!!!
They will never have problem to pay as they know how to get money from elseway, this will at least help to channel some money back to govt to support incompetent govt servants!!!
A major flaw in a road project is dangerous and may cause fatalites.
Even after spending so many $$$ to rectify the fault we still have problems.
The Board of Engineers should take action against the civil engineer who overseered the project if there were irregularities.
Now imagine the scenario if this were the nuclear power plant that some people are promoting and the cooling water system has a major breakdown and the spare pump does not meet the specs as somebody decided to buy a cheap model and pocket the difference.
Oil now at US114/barrel means petrol should be at RM2.36/litre pump price taken into account deliver, cost and ‘30 sen subsidy’ (betul ke ada subsidi?) – Freddy
—————-
Who are making the extra profit from the high petrol pump price now that the actual pump price should be RM2.36 instead of RM2.70??? i.e. 34 sen per litre. This extra profit is going into the fat pocket of the petrol companies!!! Time for YB to voice out to adjust the petrol pump price immediately just like other countries to reflet the actual world oil price, instead of giving so much extra profit to the petrol companies who demanded the govt to pay more subsidy when the world oil price shot up but collecting more profit quietly when the world oil price drop!!! With the incompetent BN govt, the Rakyat need to suffer until Sept in order to see the daylight!!!
YB,
AAB said that he heard the people and he understand the hardships of the Rakyat, but without immediate action taken by him to reduce the petrol pump price in view of the world petrol price drop, we can see that he is afterall just bluffing the people and taking them for granted while he continues to enjoy his jet setting lifestyles with real private jet flying everywhere!!! how could he say that he heard the people and understand their hardships when there’s no immediate action taken to reduce the petrol pump price??? what kind of hardships he wanted to see the Rakyat suffer before he is taking any immediate action to reduce pump price??? now he is talking about Puasa month, why wait for so long??? just look to Singapore and you will see how they have adjusted the pump price very frequently to reflect the world oil price!!!
SATU LAGI PROJEK DIBAWA KHAS DARI KERAJAAN BARISAN NASIONAL.
I am sure this is more than fit for the BN gov to put up this banner, in which BN is fond of using, at both ends of the MRRII. Opps!!! BN have not paid the invoice for their 2004 GE banners. So no suppliers. What a shame!
if there is no check and balance in spending, this is expected. A blank cheque for contractor is like daylight robbery. PAC should be headed by Opposition for effective check and balance. Not only in this case.
In the private business, budget for spending whether expected or not is restricted.
BeEnd always give the statement “expected to cost” is a blank cheque ! it should always be “will costing not more than”
Public money left unchecked will eventually flow to individual’s/political parties’ pocket as well as foreign companies.