The Malaysiakini headline “Liong Sik’s memory lapse impairs PAC meeting” tells it all – and it was what I had anticipated.
In my statement dated 5th July, 200, I had cautioned Ling against competing with his old boss, Tun Dr. Mahathir in a contest of selective amnesia when appearing before probes into their dubious past – as Mahathir had said “I cannot remember” or its equivalent 14 times during his 90-minute testimony before the Lingam Videotape Royal Commission of Inquiry in January last year.
How many times did Ling say “I cannot remember” or its equivalent in his two-hour appearance before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) inquiry into the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal?
I understand that Ling beat Mahathir’s record of selective amnesia at the PAC inquiry yesterday. With his PAC testimony, Ling has formally inaugurated the Three Tuns for Selective Amnesia comprising Tun Mahathir, Tun Ling and Tun Eusuff Chin, the former Chief Justice who said “I cannot remember” or its equivalent 18 times in his testimony before the Lingam Videotape Royal Commission of Inquiry last year.
Ling has made a total mockery of his current position as Chairman of the Malaysia Mental Literary Movement (MMLM) which had been making a splash of publicity recently about mind mapping and developing brain power through brain exercises, unlimited potential of the human mind, ways to unleash it to the fullest as way as memory demonstrations by both the young and old on their mental literacy and ability to remember things.
Only last week, at the opening of the fifth Malaysia Festival of the Mind at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) in Kampar, Nurlina Suraiya Md Sharif 18 and Wong Wan Jiun 24 impressed the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin when they successfully memorised and recalled an extensive series of words and numbers.
Or is the mental literacy promoted by Ling includes the mental prowess to both remember and forget things?
After Ling’s testimony, PAC Chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid told a press conference that the former MCA President and Transport Minister maintained that the government’s first letter of support for the PKFZ, signed on the advice of the ministry’s secretary-general and legal adviser, was not a letter of guarantee and did not have financial implications for the government.
If Ling is right, then the whole responsibility for the PKFZ scandal would fall on Ling’s successor as Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy, who signed the other three letters of support which landed the country in the RM12.5 billion PKFZ “scandal of all scandals”.
Did Kong Choy sign the rest of the three letters of support also on the advice of the Transport Ministry’s secretary-general and legal adviser in each instance?
The Malaysian public are entitled to know who are the respective secretaries-general and legal advisers when each of the four PKFZ letters of support were signed by Liong Sik and Kong Choy from 2003 to 2006.
Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, who will be appearing before the PAC in about four hours at 2 pm, should be able to give the PAC these names and whether the three letters of support signed by Kong Choy were all on the advice of the ministry’s secretary general and legal adviser at the time.
Tee Keat has a most important thing to tell the PAC – which of the three Transport Ministers since 2002 must bear the greatest responsibility for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal or is he taking the position that no one need to be held responsible for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ “mother of all scandals” – another “Malaysia Boleh” phenomenon of a “heinous crime without criminals”?
How could Tee Keat, who only became Transport Minister in March 2008 and whose first public statement is to promise to “tell all” about the PKFZ scandal but which he has reneged till today, be involved in the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal?
This is a question Tee Keat must enlighten PAC and the Malaysian public – especially his answer to my question yesterday, whether he had given the final approval in May 2008 for the RM1.2 billion variation order by the PKFZ turnkey developer, Kuala Dimensi Sdn. Bhd or he merely acted as postman of Port Klang Authority (PKA) to transmit the PKA approval to the Prime Minister for payment.
Is it true that the Port Klang Authority (PKA) Board in its meeting of February 2008 did not take the final decision to approve the RM1.2 billion KDSB variation order but referred it to the Transport Minister, although the PKA Board recommended approval.?
If so, did Tee Keat order a full review as to whether the KDSB’s RM1.2 billion variation order is justified and in order or whether he just approved it blindly by forwarding it to the then Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi?
If Tee Keat gave the final approval for the RM1.2 billion KDSB variation order and had not ordered a review of its accuracy and validity, why not?
It seem many Tuns in Malaysia suffer the same disease of memory lapse and closed to Parkinson of lost memory.
but, if not wrong the Tuns appear in the PAC re PKFZ evil project was a keen promoter of mental memory technique who boost to spent his retirement days promoting mental memory technique, but unfortunately when face with PAC his memory lapsed? So were many famous figures appear to have the same problem.
This again show how arrogant this evil fellow can be. They juts behave like if I say I could not remember then what can you do to me kind of attitude. They just take the average Malaysian as a fools and they just can’t doing anything to them since may be they carry the title Tun and have immunity?
Any way, all this was just for show and most of the inquiry just to show they are doing some thing but at the end of the day do not expect anything will change and life go on as usual. The crook will be just a crook and walking free. This is another day of life in Malaysia, may be.
4 letter of support – 4 bonds issued all AAA rating (until recently)
1st bond issued under Special Port Vehicle Berhad – size RM1.31 billion – Date of Issuance 30 July 2003 – Tenor 14 years – Adviser Malaysian International Merchant Bankers Berhad
So, if Ling Liong Sik says its not letter of guarantee. What it is? Why is the bond rating related to bond rating by MARC?
The questioning by PAC also leaves a lot to be desired. For example, if Ling claims that the Letter of Support he signed on the last day of office was “not a guarantee”, then when was the first time he was told that this Letter of Support was needed for KDSB to issue bonds for the project ? My understanding that there was pressure on Ling to issue the Letter of Support much earlier but that he actually procrastinated till his last day in office.
Also, Ling could say that the Letter of Support “was not a a guarantee”, but the AG’s Chambers and the MOF both said that it was with the full faith and credit of the Government. Who is Ling to say that it wasn’t a guarantee ? Was Ling trying to shift blame to the MOT’s legal advisor, which would have been seconded from the AG’s Chambers in the first place.
Unless there is a Royal Commission of Inquiry made up of people of legal and financial backgrounds, this PAC inquiry is just going to go into another black hole.
“Bukan gua bikin” or “I cannot remember” will be the usual claims of those tainted by this scandal.
Aiyah, Chua Soiled Kick would also have selective memory lapse if questioned about his actions in the hotel room.
Guarantee or not, it is purely legality and academic.
we can look at the issue from different angle. substance or from? In substance and in all intend and purpose the letter issue by MOT is for the purpose to show the support that MOT rendered. But legality whether it is guarantee in nature leave it to the cow to decide. Morally MOT has commit a sinful act to show support to KDSB bonds. That was the real issue. But it will not be easy even to book those abuser even the letter is clearly a letter of guarantee. What they say is so what? I do what I like. After when face the court? Any court in Malaysia today ? Come to the same thing. No where no place to book them.
Guys … read this … interesting or not?
http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/24401/84/
We, as malaysians should all feel shame because most of our Tuns are not telling the truth although they received the highest award. If a minister or Tun can uttered ‘ I can not remember’ then we also can forget about paying the income tax.
Its called Selective Amnesia … DrM is one of my political idols but I have to say that man’s memory is longer than a trip to Jupiter. He conveniently could not remember. See his postings on CheDet. Sometimes I reaches back VERY far.
This is the system, people play with it. They need to be confronted with documentary evidence. Who cares about their memory. Just jail them.
of course…..Ling is mind map president!!!…..who can forget that! (pun intended)……ha ha ha….good one sdr Lim. Can you forward this to the board. Maybe, they ask Ling to come in for refresher course….what a joke!
Hi Admin, why i m not allowed to write comment in other post except this one. Pls check. Thks!
Hi Administrator, could you please check why I’m not able to write comment in other post other than this one. Thank you!!!
This is what happens when the country is ruled by gangsters. Every institution in it behaves like one. You can bet your last dollar that they will be a massive cover up by everybody related to the UNMO government on Teoh’s death. If we want to know and find justice for him we will need to vote those Bastards out first and when Pakatan is in charge, we will be able to get our hands on those responsible. Power talks. The power is in the hand of the voters and I hope they will use it wisely come the next election.
I was learnt that when someone confered with TUN title, you will be above the law. If this is true, then all the highly convicted politicians will be above the law after their retirement. This becomes a BIG BIG LOOPHOLE in Malaysia !! It will become the laughing stock in the world.