Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu told Parliament during question time that he would not allow any person to “play the fool” whether in the Public Works Department or among contractors after the disgraceful litany of government building defects and public construction mishaps – with collapsing ceilings, cracking walls and floodings in new buildings from burst water or sewerage piping.
This prompted me to ask Samy Vellu whether he had been “playing the fool” for 22 years as Works Minister to explain the nation’s regression from “First-World Infrastructure, Third-World Mentality” to “Third-World Infrastructure, Fourth-rate Mentality and Ninth-class Maintenance”, with Malaysia facing shocking drop in public delivery standards which were unimaginable two or three decades ago.
Samy Vellu had been a Cabinet Minister for almost 28 years, with 22 years as Works Minister.
I asked Samy Vellu whether it was not time for the country to have another Works Minister.
At my supplementary question, Samy Vellu blew his top, exclaiming that Ipoh Timur should appoint a new Member of Parliament.
He boasted that whether he had been a Minister for 22 years, 28 years or even 48 years, it was all because of his capability.
I shot back to remark that whether Ipoh Timur should have a new MP is not for Samy Vellu to say, and this cannot be excuse for Samy Vellu to run away from his responsibility to be a competent Works Minister instead of seeing standards of public works falling year after year.
I also pointed out that under his leadership, the Indians have become the new underclass in the country with the most political, socio-economic, educational and citizenship problems.
I had earlier accused Samy Vellu of misleading Parliament when he had claimed that the government had not suffered any additional costs as a result of the numerous problems faced by government buildings.
I asked how Samy Vellu could make such a claim when he had earlier said himself that it would cost RM22 million to inspect new government buildings in Putrajaya for defects, and the bill would be much higher now that the scope of inspection had been expanded to include government buildings outside Putrajaya.
Why was it necessary for such inspections to take place when it would be unthinkable two or three decades ago?