Transport Minister and MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat blogged a response from Beijing to my 15 questions (three per day) on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) Rip-Off but he was forced to camouflage his failure to honour the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s directive and promise of a question-by-question reply as well as very weak and insipid contents by very harsh language and distractions.
“…a knee jerk reaction which spells of political agenda and defeatist attitude”.
“It will save people a lot of time not to repeat ourselves for the benefit of self-serving politicians”.
“I see no reason to waste valuable time to engage in fruitless public debates of any form that does not help to solve the problems”.
“… public debates are the opposition’s obvious idea of resolving all the country’s ills”.
Just four quotes from his short statement. What character of the man, at least for this moment, do they reveal?
Pompous. Arrogant. Quite insufferable. Worse than Najib on all three scores!
This speaks a lot for Ong Tee Keat, illustrating again the truism of historian Lord Acton’s maxim “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
I will not respond in kind except to remark that public debates, forum, scrutiny and accountability do not end up in Rip-offs like the RM12.5 billion PKFZ “mother of all scandals” – which is six times more than Tun Mahathir’s classic scandal, the RM2.5 billion Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF) scandal.
I have goose pimples reading Ong’s reply, as his so-called “roadmap to recovery of PKFZ” reminds me eerily of Myanmar military junta’s “seven-step roadmap to democracy” which leads to nowhere!
It is six years since the Myanmar military junta first introduced to the world community the cruel euphemism of “roadmap to democracy” but the benighted land has never been further from national reconciliation and democratisation, with the Burmese pro-democracy icon and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate currently under going a sham trial in a kangaroo court in a country which is no different from a prison!
So my first question today (No. 16th in the series) is what guarantee Ong can give Malaysians that his “roadmap to recovery of PKFZ” will not end up like the Myanmese military junta’s “seven-step roadmap to democracy” after six years – as had in fact happened previously to the PKFZ itself, when the PKFZ scandal escalated from a RM1.1 billion scandal in 2002 under Datuk Seri Dr. Ling Liong Sik as Transport Minister, more than quadrupling to RM4.6 billion under Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy as Transport Minister and now mushrooming into the astronomical figure of RM7.5 billion and even reaching RM12.5 billion scandal under Ong’s watch!
Ong said: “When billions of ringgit and the future of our children are at stake, we should take this situation very seriously and make wise decisions based on the best input available from relevant parties.”
My second question to Ong is whether he is suggesting that his two predecessors as Transport Minister, Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik and Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy and the three previous Port Klang Authority (PKA) Chairmen, Tan Sri Ting Chew Peh, Datuk Yap Pian Hon and Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung had all failed to pass this test of taking their trust over billions of ringgit and the future of our children “seriously” and making “wise decisions based on the best input available”?
If this coterie of five MCA leaders who had helmed the Transport Ministry and the Port Klang Authority since 2,000 had acted seriously and responsibly based on “best wise advice available”, Malaysia and her 27 million people and future generations would not be burdened with the RM12.5 billion PKFZ Rip-0ff.
On the other hand,if Liong Sik, Kong Choy, Chew Peh, Pian Hon and Chee Heung had acted irresponsibility in landing the country and people with the PKFZ “mother of all scandals”, why Ong had not said a single word about the action that must taken against all five or any one of them so that the RM12.5 billion PKFZ Rip-off would not end up as the century’s “heinous crime without criminals”?
Ong said: “At this very moment, professional experts and entrepreneurs have been roped in to provide their views and expertise on how to bring PKFZ back on track for which it was originally conceived.“
What was conceived was a RM1.1 billion self-financing and viable PKFZ which would not require a single sen of subsidy from public funds. It has now transformed into a monster which may require RM12.5 billion bailout from public funds!
In any event, is this a confession by Ong that for 15 months since becoming Transport Minister after the March 8 political tsunami last year, he had been “sitting still and playing rhetoric” while doing nothing to put in place a series of action plans to lessen the pain on taxpayers – except to pass the buck to the PricewaterhouseCoopers to do an audit report, which is promptly passed to the MACC and the PAC for public relations effect?
This is my third question for the day.
#1 by dawsheng on Thursday, 4 June 2009 - 4:21 pm
“Just four quotes from his short statement. What character of the man, at least for this moment, do they reveal?” – Kit
A liar, that is obvious!
#2 by SpeakUp on Thursday, 4 June 2009 - 5:12 pm
Yes Mr Lim … its all political rhetoric from OKT so that he can make people feel good as he tries to wonder what he can do to see if the whole blunder can be saved. That is for sure!
One thing I find most funny. What do you think about Tan Sri Khalid saying that PKFZ can be an asset? Khalid is right, it can be turned around.
See you open your mouth too much about others when you have a plank in your eye. Just shut the negativity and perhaps serve more ok with POSITIVE INPUT. Leave BN to rot and let God sort them out, if you believe in God then let God do the job la.
Your job is so serve the people so go do it without pointing pointing pointing. All that you say here has not moved anything in the Government. None of the forumers here are willing to go out and DIE for you or the Nation. Remember Ops Lallang? Before it happened you shot your mouth so much and got so much support but when you were incarcerated NO ONE came to assist.
I am not saying you should have been incarcerated but of course it was a lame excuse to shut you up and was a lousy decision to say the least. However, the fact remains is that it made no difference.
#3 by ChengHoi on Thursday, 4 June 2009 - 5:13 pm
“It will save people a lot of time not to repeat ourselves for the benefit of self-serving politicians” – Ong Ta Kut
“It will waste people a lot of money not to repeat ourselves for the benefit of self-serving president of MCA (Malaysia Conman Association?)” – Rakyat
#4 by gofortruth on Thursday, 4 June 2009 - 6:17 pm
Its been 5 years since the alarm was sounded on PKFZ and the gomen had all the time in the world to arrest the problem but instead it just happily bulldozed & bulldozed its way ripping off our nation of BILLIONS.
OTK was so bold initially to make a “TELL ALL” declaration that had won so much respect even from the Chinese community but sadly he is now being reduced to a “Tai chi” playing UMNO messenger boy trying to push the responsililty to others – the gomen is looking into it lah, consultants lah, financial experts lah, roadmaps lah that will ding dong for another 5 years????????? How is this “brave” OTK going to face his Chinese community?????? Sick joke lah!
OTK should stop the “beating around the bush” game and just tell us what has gone wrong, what irregularities have happened, who have abused the system and who should be taken to book. Then tell us what remedial & rescue effort to take on PKFZ. Please do all these in lightning speed!!!!!
#5 by rckk007 on Thursday, 4 June 2009 - 6:27 pm
Don’t you know that “the best defense is to attack”. This seems to be BN’s favourite strategic move. When cornered, they revert to attacking and diverting attention elsewhere. Watch out for some more diversions and attacks … and soon the PKFZ issue will disappear from the landscape (that’s what he is hoping will happen), and then it is biz-as-usual. Let’s not give them any reason to do so.
#6 by ekompute on Thursday, 4 June 2009 - 7:04 pm
“Ong Tee Keat’s “roadmap to recovery of PKFZ” reminds me eerily of Myanmar military junta’s “seven-step roadmap to democracy” which leads to nowhere!”
Let us not be too harsh on him. He needs the job and given the entrenched BN culture, you know his job is to merely do a wayang kulit, sufficient to hoodwink the public but not to hurt the coalition of ummmm…. is “robbers” too harsh a word?
#7 by Godfather on Thursday, 4 June 2009 - 7:12 pm
Who is Ong Ta Kut using to help him with the “roadmap to recovery”? Mega Wan Consulting ? How about Cintanegara, Kasim and Chengho, the famous Ali Baba con-sultans ? Or how about TomDumb Advisory Services ?
#8 by Godfather on Thursday, 4 June 2009 - 7:17 pm
PKFZ has a 14 pct occupancy. Let’s do a roadshow around the world to attract tenants. Let’s make visits to Disneyland, Legoland, NASA – whatever – to try and get the occupancy levels up.
By the way, Ong Ta Kut, I’d like to be the con-sultan for this exercise. Can I speak with Ah Beng at PKA ?
#9 by monsterball on Thursday, 4 June 2009 - 7:33 pm
Waste of time to depend on any MCA President to have balls.
They are deeply obligated to UMNO right now..and can dig his own grave…if OTK dare to expose Ling Liong Sik and Mahathir.
Land deal is the first sign of massive corruption.
#10 by yhsiew on Thursday, 4 June 2009 - 8:47 pm
…if OTK dare to expose Ling Liong Sik and Mahathir.
Land deal is the first sign of massive corruption. – monsterball
====================================================
OTK’s ‘TELL ALL’ has become ‘TELL NOTHING’!
#11 by vsp on Thursday, 4 June 2009 - 9:45 pm
As long as BN is in control, Ong Tee Keat’s “roadmap to recovery of PKFZ” will undeniably become the “roadmap to perdition”. They will be digging a bigger hole and be drown in the Straits of Malacca rather than to salvage the rot.
Let’s wait for Pakatan to take over the federal government and then let’s see.
#12 by ktteokt on Thursday, 4 June 2009 - 9:50 pm
Action speaks louder than words! What has OTK done since his “next week” promise? It’s delay after delay, passing the ball here and there without any solid action on what he has promised – Tell ALL? My foot!
#13 by passerby on Friday, 5 June 2009 - 1:22 am
This project was conceived like a scam to rip off big time in the beginning and any development after wards will never be able to pay off such big amount of money already siphoned away. Be realistic, the economic situation has already changed since the recession and what was projected will no longer be the same anymore. With more competitive countries playing the same game, there is only that much the world economy can sustain. Simple logic – you can’t have so more chiefs and there is no indians.
Malaysia has missed the boat despite what the old mamak said that Malaysia can still be a high income state by 2020. The only thing closer to that date is his death. All these corruption and racist policies are driving away the talented non-bumis and he think the bumis can replace them. The rest of the world also hate this kind of policies and that is why so few of them have decided to invest in this country.
The only thing left is to catch all these thieves and crooks and put them in jail. Anyone trying to protect all these thieves and crooks are just as guilty as them. OKT you are one of them.
#14 by sheriff singh on Friday, 5 June 2009 - 5:35 am
” Ong said: “At this very moment, professional experts and entrepreneurs have been roped in to provide their views and expertise on how to bring PKFZ back on track for which it was originally conceived.“ ”
Yet another set of “professional experts and entrepreneurs”. New set to investigate the work of the old set of “experts” who caused the disaster in the first place.
Experts, experts, experts. Consultants, consultants, consultants. If they are so good, why do we keep having all these disasters in the first place?
Yesterday we saw news reports that one consultant is suing PKFZ for RM 149 million. How much will these new set of “consultants” cost?
No wonder we are a paradise for consultants.
Just who are these new experts, why are they competent, and how much will they cost?
Why did the old “consultants” fail and how much did they earn for their failures?
#15 by Bigjoe on Friday, 5 June 2009 - 8:24 am
People should be reminded that Jebel Ali pulled out in 2007, two years ago. Ong Tee Keat became Transport Minister in March 2008, more than a year ago and now only he want to have an action plan?
The problems was known long before Jebel pulled out and now they need time to work on a plan?
What great plan could they come out with given the problems were evident years ago and they did so little AFTER being forced to do so!!!!
#16 by boh-liao on Friday, 5 June 2009 - 9:06 am
“roadmap which leads to nowhere”
What gross n dumb nonsense is this
Surely LKS knows that in M’sia all roads and projects lead
to the bottomless pockets of Umno, MCA, MIC, Gerakan
politicians and their cronies
Ciak, ciak, ciak; ciak bei liao
#17 by k1980 on Friday, 5 June 2009 - 9:16 am
From RPK’s blog: Why did Dubai’s JAFZA abandon PKFZ?
Jafza bailed out because of bureaucracy, interference by politicians and others with vested interests, deliberate incorrect minuting of meetings and even attempts at tax evasion by the Malaysian negotiators.
#18 by taiking on Friday, 5 June 2009 - 11:09 am
Hey, wotever happened to my offer to take over PKFZ for RM1-00? It a good offer and all parties must pay some serious attention.
And Ong TK’s roadmap? Its really a roadmap to reduce a big problem in size to a small problem and then from a small problem to finally no problem.
#19 by taiking on Friday, 5 June 2009 - 11:19 am
Middle eastern businessmen are typically shrewd and bold and they would go in for the kill whenever opportunity presents itself. They can be very unscrupulous hunters. But in malaysia, they have to back out and abandon ship. Umno (and by extension bn) is too much for them to handle. Organised crimes is wot everyone is familiar with the world over. Corruption too is not unfamiliar. But organised or corporatised or legalised corruption and power abuse is really something else. You only find it in malaysia and a handful of really rotten countries in the world.
#20 by sheriff singh on Friday, 5 June 2009 - 11:34 am
I think Ong Tee Keat cannot answer your “difficult” questions.
You must use words of less than 5 characters and sentences must also contain not more than 5 words. Also, the questions must be phrased in such a way that they can be answered by a simple “Yes” or “No”.
You must appreciate that all BN politicians attended the BN Graduate School of Mumbo-Jumbo, where they are taught the art of Evasion, Talk Coq and Bull Shiitte. They all got 15 A1s on full government scholarships.
#21 by yc lee on Friday, 5 June 2009 - 12:47 pm
Hi Mr.Lim,
Something outside PKFZ scandal.
Matthias Chang, in his blog dated 19 May 2009, has issued a public challenge to the leaders of PR state governments (you included) on the following issues:-
1. A report card on the achievements made after 1 year in power.
2. A blueprint for the states under PR control, specifically the policies in ensuring the continued wellbeing of the rakyat suffering from the impact of the global financial tsunami.
3. Strategies in making Malaysia the most dynamic country in ASEAN.
4. Specific ways in achieving a higher degree of national unity, as this is always a work-in-progress.
May I know what is your stand on his challenge?