Wee questions DLP textbook deal via direct negotiation

PETALING JAYA: MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong has questioned the Finance Ministry’s decision to acquire Dual Language Programme (DLP) textbooks through direct negotiation.

He said Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Amiruddin Hamzah had announced in Parliament on Oct 30 last year that the government would only allow direct negotiation in certain situations.

These situations involve emergency needs, uniformity, supply and service, safety and strategy, and bumiputra contractors.

Dr Wee said the provisos given by Amiruddin were too general and could lead to abuse.

“I have said publicly that the only acceptable exception here is ‘safety and strategy’ as it involves national security and specific equipment needs. The other four are too general, which would ultimately be abused.

“And my worries are justified. With the Finance Ministry allowing textbooks (to) be acquired through direct negotiation, it will eventually open the floodgates for hundreds of similar cases,” he said in a Facebook post yesterday.

Pakatan Harapan, he added, had previously made a pledge in its manifesto that they would do away with the practice of direct negotiation but they seemed to have made another “U-turn” on the matter.

“Before GE14, Pakatan, especially DAP, criticised the practice of direct negotiation and promised voters that they would opt for open tender should they come into power.

“Pakatan seems to have forgotten that it had promised in its election manifesto that open tender would be used ‘extensively and transparently’, but I assure you that the people are not so forgetful,” he said.

On Sunday, the Finance Ministry announced in a statement that it had given special approval for direct negotiations to take place for the acquisition of DLP textbooks.

It said the special approval was done out of concern that the delay would affect students sitting for major examinations.