Tee Keat to be invited to forum on PKFZ
By: Giam Say Khoon (Tue, 02 Jun 2009)
PETALING JAYA (June 1, 2009) : The DAP will invite Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat to a forum titled “RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) Scandal: Will Heads Roll” on June 10 as a special guest to respond to questions asked by the public.
DAP veteran leader and Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang said today that since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had directed Ong “to answer every question raised by any party” on the PKFZ issue, “Najib is clearly prepared to subject the PKFZ scandal to the widest and tiniest scrutiny and for this reason, I hope he (Ong) will appear at this forum to answer all questions, whether by the panelists or concerned members of the public”.
Lim said Ong had tried to pour scorn on the proposal that the government cut losses and close down PKFZ as “a premature statement by politicians who think they can make well-informed financial decisions based on a few hours of looking through the PKFZ report” and he will let “the financial consultants and management experts work out a more viable solution based on further in-depth studies before a more structured approach and solution is implemented”.
“Ong had said quite a mouthful but it is no answer at all. I did not say last Friday that the Transport Ministry should cut losses and liquidate the PKFZ, even allowing the Port Klang Authority (PKA) to go bankrupt if this is one inescapable consequence – but that such an option should be seriously considered by the transport minister,” he told a press conference at the party headquarters here.
Ong had written in his blog on Saturday that he was disappointed with the statement by the Opposition and that he had no role to play in working out the exact terms of reference as it was mutually agreed upon by PKA and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the audit firm for the PKFZ report.
Ong stressed he was the person who commissioned the report, advocated strongly for its release, directed the report to be made available to MACC, and to put in place mechanisms on the way forward.
“Handling this matter is not an easy task but I am taking it seriously simply because it involves the people’s money and interests, and any moves made should be based on sound information and after a thorough study,” he said.
“It is much better than scoring political points through taking the easy way out and providing cheap shots.
Lim also requested that Ong direct PKA chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng to give the DAP parliamentary team a complete set of the PwC report together with the 20 appendices for thorough study.