MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong asks govt why there was no tender for a RM3bil contract.

‘Pakatan must be transparent about open tender stance’

PAKATAN Harapan must come clean on its stand on open tender, says MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (pic).

Dr Wee, who is also Ayer Hitam MP, said Pakatan always preached good governance but practised the opposite.

He was referring to a recent statement by Deputy Finance Minister Amiruddin Hamzah that the government did not completely rule out direct negotiations when awarding contracts and that it would be continued in five situations such as uniformity, supply and services, and safety.

“This is a statement that is too general and open to manipulation.

“I would also like to ask the Pakatan government, which has stressed the concept of good governance, to explain a project worth about RM3bil that was recently awarded to a private company on the pretext of uniformity.

“Sources told me that the project, which is a supply of computer tablets, was awarded through direct negotiations.

“If this is true, please explain why this happened,” said Dr Wee when debating Budget 2019 yesterday.

He asked why Pakatan did not hold on to the principle of explaining to the people why open tender was not practised in this case.

He also asked why tenders for the Public Works Department’s projects were limited only to bumiputra contractors although the projects were worth more than RM100mil.

“Prior to this, such tenders were opened to all contractors.

“Is this happening now due to the change in policies by the new government?

“Are you saying that non-bumiputra contractors have no chance to enter the tendering process?

“Is this what you call fair and inclusive?” he asked.

Dr Wee also questioned why Pakatan only allocated RM5.5mil to Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TarUC) in Budget 2019 and why the amount was only for development and not matching grants to help with the institution’s operational costs.

He said in 2012 when the college’s status was upgraded to a university college, the Cabinet had agreed to provide the matching grant with a ceiling of RM60mil to TarUC as a continuous commitment by the gov- ernment to help the institution.

Dr Wee said in 1972, the government had promised to provide financial assistance to the college.

He added that allocations for operational and development expenditure of between RM30mil and RM69.25mil were given to TarUC from 2012 to 2018.

“TarUC is a non-profit educational institution established by MCA in 1969 and has produced more than 190,000 graduates, including politicians from Pakatan.

“With an allocation of only RM5.5mil, TarUC is forced to increase its fee and this will burden parents who want their children to study there.

“Although TarUC was established by MCA, its operations have remained apolitical,” he said.

Dr Wee said last year when there was confusion over the allocation for TarUC in Budget 2018, Pakatan lawmakers had criticised the issue.

“The situation is now different. Pakatan has the power to distribute the allocation, so it must be done in a fair and just manner.

“Do not politicise education,” he said.

In 2017, the Higher Education Ministry clarified that TarUC would receive a financial allocation for this year, but it fell under a different category.

It said the institution would receive RM30mil which had been allocated under the ministry’s management sector.