Thursday June 11, 2009
Scandal brewing over contracts
By ELAN PERUMAL
THE Selangor government is embroiled in a brewing scandal over the issue of awarding waste management contracts in the state.
Allegations are being made that the local authorities are awarding the contracts based on a quota system to accommodate the three Pakatan Rakyat coalition parties of PAS, DAP and the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
It is alleged that contractors aligned with the PKR have been given 40% of the share while those associated with the DAP and PAS get 30% each.
StarMetro had reported on the matter last week under the headline Contracts are given on merit, says Liu, quoting state local government, studies and research committee chairman Ronnie Liu as denying that the state had such a quota system.
Petaling Jaya councillor A. Thiruvenggadam had alleged that the state had awarded the Alam Flora waste management contracts based on the political connection of the contractors.
‘’They have done so by dividing the Alam Flora contracts into 40% for the PKR, 30% for PAS and 30% for the DAP and this is wrong and against good governance practices and will lead to corruption,’’ Thiruvenggadam said.
He claimed that most of the councillors in Selangor were taken by surprise when told about this contract arrangement between the parties.
Following Thiruvenggadam’s allegation, the Selangor Umno Youth had taken up the matter to the state Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
According to Selangor Umno Youth chief Suhaimi Mohd Ghazali, they have enough reasons to suspect that there was lack of transparency on the awarding of contracts by the state government.
“We have urged the MACC to investigate thoroughly the councillor’s allegations as we believe there is truth to his claims,” he said.
“Thiruvenggadam is a councillor appointed by the Pakatan Rakyat and it is obvious that he knows what he is talking about.
“I believe that there is no transparency in the way the contracts are awarded,’’ Suhaimi said.
Petaling Jaya Utara MP and DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua, meanwhile, has issued a press statement demanding that the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor government investigate and dispel the allegations of contracts being offered based on political patronage.
Pua said the state must promote competitive and transparent tenders for public services.
He said the DAP viewed with serious concerns the allegation by Thiruvenggadam and wanted the state executive council to immediately investigate the veracity of his claims which posed serious credibility threats to the Pakatan Rakyat state government.
Pua urged state infrastructure and public amenities committee chairman Datuk Dr Hassan Mohd Ali, who is responsible for the Alam Flora waste management services, to confirm or deny the allegations.
“The allegations, if true, will put us on a slippery slope to become a government which condones patronage and cronyism, no different from the Barisan Nasional,” he said.
“However, if the allegations are found to be false or misguided, then Thiruvenggadam must apologise for his allegations,” Pua said.
Pua said the DAP strongly condemned all political patronage practices in the awarding of public services contracts.
When contacted, Liu reaffirmed and reiterated his earlier statement that there was no truth in the allegations made by Thiruvenggadam.
Liu said if the allegations were true, it would not be possible for those aligned with Umno to be awarded contracts under the Pakatan Rakyat state rule.
“Many Umno contractors are getting contracts from the local authorities now and this would never happen if the contracts are awarded on a quota system to Pakatan parties,” he said.
Filed under: Uncategorized
