A Springtime of Openness ...

EVEN THOSE HIDING IN THE CLOSET FOR DECADES ARE COMING OUT NAKED!



TheSUN frontpage gave Desi great delight at the BF table this sunshine morn, with an arresting headline which surprises with its OPENNESS IN GOVERNANCE.
Nine years later, never mind, because it comes out from a mouth that normally spews Mafia language!


Matrade shame

SAMY VELLU REVEALS
QUESTIONABLE
PROCEDURES IN
TENDER AWARD


KUALA LUMPUR: The Works Ministry has revealed questionable procedures by the Finance Ministry in 1993 that led to Perangsang International Sdn Bhd (PISB)'s appointment as the main contractor of the much-delayed Matrade headquarters.

Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said his ministry's recommendation, following an open tender process, to appoint Ireka Construction Sdn Bhd was overruled by the Finance Ministry.

He told Parliament (yesterday - June 27, 2006) that the Finance Ministry, then under Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, instead directed his ministry to negotiate directly with PISB.

To a question from Salahuddin Ayub (PAS-Kubang Kerian), Samy Vellu said 14 companies had submitted 23 tenders for the construction of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, and succeeded in the initial qualifying process.

He said the Public Works Department (PWD)'s Tender Board, which met in June 1993, had recommended Ireka Construction, with its bid of RM157,721,431, to the Finance Minister on the following basis:

> the contractor's tender price was 15% lower than PWD's allocation, and was reasonable;

> the time frame for the project's implementation was acceptable; and

> the contractor's work load was not heavy.

"Perangsang International's bid was not accepted as the price quoted was too low, about 19% lower than the department's estimates," Samy Vellu said.

He said this was because the price of the wall cladding offered by PISB was RM3 million, much lower than PWD's estimate of RM15 million.

"In addition, PISB did not submit the design of the wall cladding," he said.

Despite PWD's recommendation, he said the Finance Ministry decided the 14 companies should re-bid their tenders, but later directed that the project's implementation be negotiated directly with PISB.

Samy Vellu said after negotiations were completed, the Finance Ministry approved the RM167 million project, and an offer letter to PISB was issued in 1994.

Construction on the Matrade building began that year but completion, originally scheduled for 1997, was delayed by nine years. As a result, the project cost escalated to RM287.5 million.

To a supplementary question from Salahuddin, Samy Vellu said it was the Works Ministry's responsibility to evaluate the submitted tenders and make recommendations to the Finance Ministry.

"If the Finance Ministry does not accept, then I cannot question it," he said.

"This is because we act as an agent to the Finance Ministry in calling for the tender, and the final decision to give or not is left 100% in the Finance Ministry's hands. It (the decision) was made by the then Finance Minister," Samy Vellu added.

***Anwar was Finance Minister from 1991 until he was sacked from government in 1997.

To a supplementary question from Mohd Alwi Che Ahmad (BN-Ketereh) on what action the government would take against PISB, Samy Vellu said the company would be brought to court.

"PISB has closed down now, it no longer exists. The directors are all smart, we do not know where they have disappeared to, but they cannot run away (from the law)," he said.

PISB was a subsidiary of Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd which is the Selangor government's investment arm.

Samy Vellu said if they allowed PISB to get away, other contractors would take money for government projects and then close down.

"I give my word to the august Dewan that any directive I receive I will carry out," he said.


DESIDERATA:

I have reproduced the whole item as it is, but the emphasis (as BOLDED LIKE THIS) is Desi's.

The most revealing sentence is the following, and from it, you can surmise -- okay a simpler word is GUESS, my ER favourite brand in hi-fashion, NOT Desi the pauper writer! -- the MOTIVATION behind the sudden OPENNESS.

This openness is selective, prompted mainly, or rather a development from a logical progression of events started by the former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's coming out from "retirement" to exercise his "rights" as common citizen like you and me to query the present Administration, the Cabinet members which Pak Lah largely inheritred from the good doctor from November 2003, with a few adjustments. Cosmetic. As in many things ala Malaysia the past few decades.

So Malaysians for the past month have witnessed what I would term THE SPRINGTIME OF FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND OPENNESS IN GOVERNANCE,
***Anwar was Finance Minister from 1991 until he was sacked from government in 1997.

By now if you are an informed citizen, you must have known -- some even dreamt! MY SURMISE2, ain! -- Dr Mahathir's four issues to the present Adminstration under Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. On the other hand, the PM and his team, and supporters, have countered with several questions of their own -- a good summary is contained ion the well publicised theEdge's P Gunasegaram's 22 Issues. If you have to ask Desi what's all about, my short answer is:
Get outa of here! OUTSIDE! OUTSIDE!
(In World Cup language (ah, my fave team Brazil won 3-0 over Ghana, but I salute the losers for a fine performance, and Brazil's score should be 2, cos one was clearly -- OUTSIDE! OUTSIDE!)

I had responded to several ERs here on the ongoing FACE-OFF between the ex-PM and current PM in bits and pieces because I TOLD THEM IN GIST,
the situation is diffiocult to read., mainly in a nutshell~~~

* It's a dilemma -- or a more likeabl;e term to Desi, a PRETTY CONUMDRUM.
Like Hobson's Choice, where you have two roads ahead, a situation commonly captured so well by Robert Frost in THE ROAD NOT TAKEN...

For Desi, it's choosing between THE CROCODILE IN THE POOL and THE GREAT WHITE AT SEA.
You guys know it well as Twist the Devil and the Deep, Blue Sea!
Same-lah, it's just that this scribe has a BIG EGO TO FEED, so coining his own metaphor, can or knot?

For example, the infamopus case of the cancelled Crooked Bridge, which is merely an excuse for the FACE-OFF, which camp benefits more from the cancellation decision, Dr Mahathir or Pak Lah's?

From malaysia-today.net, this information is culled~~~

"...From the list of the Board members of Gerbang Perdana, which allegedly is "rewarded" handsomely for work no need to be done following "cancellation of crooked bridge". I extract TWO familiar names, viz: tycoon Vincent Tan (Berjaya Group) and his close associate, Tengku Adnan Mansor, now FT Minister...."

The two mentioned, to my knowlddge, are "STRONG" supporters of Dr Mahathir unless they have since shifted loyalties (which nowadays is NOT a miracle, isit?)

I'm not able to read "proper inferences" from the long list of Board members, which include Johor royalty ...need to await further Raja Petra Kamarudin's gems. And "gems" here does not refer to any balls, you soccer mad readers reading much into what I 'rite!


TO BE CONTINUED:
Curio cats and kittens out there/dare -- esp eeehKAYpohCIK AllOfHelen who's yet to respond to my challenge! -- Miss Patience is Virtuous and Arresting!


The break was to enable Desi to finish his Official Work (you know to put B&B on the table, add some KAYA when I do some OT!), so here I'm back to do your bidding, are you hAPpy now? I'm here to serve thee, but pay-lah so that I can retire to OUR I-LAND with RM20million. One well-"mean"ing FAshionistA sugests the OPTION of marrying an Orang Assli in Kelantan. Oh, don't spoil the purity-lah! Furthermore, Desi's no Maverick or isIT Machiavellian? I dunno-lah, so confused nowadays, can't tell friends fom foes. Ask Dr Mahathir -- Nasri says he's no Hatchet boy, man! I salute him for challenging ex-PM to debate ... is there some minced meat for sale after that?...)

Sorry for the DIGRESSION, but I'm in a generous mood because during the break, FASHIONASIA informs that ex-DPM that I hinted about playing a
CRUCIAL ROLE IN THIS OLDE ORDE vs NEW ORDER opeates a blog too! @anwaribrahimblog.com; I had a peep, mostly in BM, but some in English, will re-visit after this:)



This media freedom we have been witnessing now to me is just a short springtime. Many Malaysians thought the 2-1/2-year-old Admin under Pak Lah has heralded in greater freedom of sppech and a freer environ for the media. When the kitchen gets hot, that's when the cooks (editors and pseudo journalists!) can't take the heat, and soon the summer heat exposed the same newshounds dressed for a short season returning to their sheep's clothing. Of course, they come out baying on the right conductor's baton dressed as Wolves, still in sheep's clothing.
They are so NAKED LIKE THE WORKS MINISTER NOW ACTING LIKE A HERO WHEN WE CAN SEE -- he's just playing balls with the current PM at the expense of a former DPM-cum-Finance Minister.


***BUT DESI IS DELIGHTED .. WHY?

Here's why~~~
The sentence I referred to earlier indicates that the RIGHTFUL PROTAGONIST IN THE CURRENT POLITICS is now being FINGERED.
TIMELY.
Desi has been waiting for this.

I wrote under COMMENTS in a fellow blogger's site (Howsy? Mave SM? Anak Merdeka?...I know it's one of these Three CUL...priks!), anway/s/z, the substance is this~~~~~~~



BIG GUNS ON BOTH SIDES, like Brazil vs Ghana-lah!

The current FACE-OFF between Dr Mahathir&camp1 and PakLah&camp2 is essentially a clash between the Olde Orde and the New Order, fought by the main protagonists -- one very vocal against the other elegantly silent. Or between their proxies -- like Tengku Mahaleel Arif and lawyer Matthias Chang (I'm still trying to figure out this guy's role plus motive/motivation) plus a former NST GEIC Abdul Kadir Jasin from Camp1; and from Camp2, Minister in PM's Department, Nasri Aziz, now one of semi-value, and a fomer NST GEIC Kalimullah Hassan, also a growing Corporate allied with the PM's son-in-law Khairy Jamaludin, touted by a foreign newspaper as the "second most powerful man in Malaysia at 28" a few years ago....soon to be joined by others aessing the RIGHT TMING, like trying to chance on an OFFSIDE goal (as Ghana found out in dismay against taking Brazeil lust night, or eraning a Penalty kick like Italia against Ozland when not justified. See, Desi also enjoys World Cup besides his teh-C cuppa!


Hey, the MOTIVATION will explain the RATIONALE. If you're a DDC fan, you must remember I always demand an EXPLANATION FOR ANY STAND. Good, excllent, Sytupi, Moronic reasons, never mind -- DEFEND YOUR STANDS/STANCES,
Be a man, have balls, as Nasrio urges.
Don't take one-liner potshots. That';s for IDIOTS, MORONS and like a BABOON (Sorry, Zoo Negara residents, if I offend thee with such metaphor...)

I've said essentially Dr Mahathir is "passe" in Malaysian politics. And he reaffirms it -- read his comments in today's papers...From The Star, page N4~~~"Dr Mahathir said he had nothing to gain from the criticisms he made against the Government, and he had no ambition to return to politics, not even as a Member of Parliament."

His former protege, Saudara Anwar Ibrahim -- now serving out a time bar of five years from active politics -- will be the more important player on the PWTC Stage.
By default really, because the PM waiting in line after Pak Lah is Defence Minister Najib Tun Razak. but he's now in the good books of current PM. Remember there was a "long inter-lude" before Pak Lah announced Najib's APpointment as nuumber 2? Hey, forgotten ah? Like so many Malaysians, SHORT, SHORT MEMORIES!


Anwar represents the ONLY HOPE for the next generation. Hopefuilly, before the next GE due March 2009, the adviser to Parti Keadilan Rakyat would have come out robustly to revive the SPIRIT OF REFORMATION
that is so essential and vital for Malaysia making the NEXT QUANTUM JUMP IN MALAYSIAN POLITICS.

IN MY HUMBLER POLITICS< ANWAR MUST SPEARHEAD REFORM IN THE FULL ESSENCE AND LETTER OF THW ORD>
FOSTERING UNITY AND JUSTICE AND EQUITY WITH INNOVATICE POLITICS THAT IS:
ABOVE RACE, COLOUR, RELIGION, CLASS AND GENDER.


WILL SAUDARA ANWAR RISE TO THE CHALLENGE?
THE PRIME MINISTER's POST IS WAITING...

Here is a man who suffered six years of torment and imprisonment of now 50%-proven to be "trumped up" charges. If the other 50% "guilt" is given the benefit of the doubt by the MAJORITY of Malaysians quite fedup with the demolition of the JUDICIARY, there's HOPE YET. An advantage is that he knows UMNO politics inside-out, and with time for rumination and reflection at Puchionmg Jail for six long years, he must surely want to address othe wrongs clearly deiomnstated before his eyes under the Olde Order of UMNO, and still very much unchanged under the present UMNO regime?


SAUDARA ANWAR, QUO VADIS?




At JeffOoi's Screenshots.com, I have writen several comments about the FOUR ESTATES, and my humble assessments. Bear with me if I recap, also doing some Politics 101 Edu for less informed ER here, because an oocasional comment shows some are still in the dark as if we are taliking PROPERTY:

(1) The Executive , or the First Estate, in Malaysia is overly dominant, mainly due to UNWITTING support gioven by the electorate resulting in 90% contriol of the Second Estate.

(2) The Legislature, dominated by 90% Barisan Nasional MPs, is a subservient one, mainly Yes, Mr OPM, Yes, Mr DPM; No, Minister, Yes ...ad nauseum, except for some Entertainment from the puur-ring Opposition benceh. Plus some demostrations of mental facility at work from the BBC. Ooops, under former Chair Sdr Sharir Samad, MP for Jor Baru (who should have joined PKR or Justice merged with Socialist blood, which Desi likes...

(3) The Third Estate ios THE JUDICIARY, which has recently shown some signs of fighting back for its Independence which it LOST 100% in the 1998 SACKING OF THE LORD PRESIDENT & OTHER SENIOR JUDGES.
And this the Citizenry must thank Dr Mahathir -- the total emasculation of the Third Estate. If you dont know what Emasculation means, please use da dickl-lah! This scribe is already over-worked writing this FIVE-FOLD ESSAY to helenic 300-word she's labouring on, due Feb 29, 2007!

(4) Okay, back to my favourite estate -- the FOURTH, which I have been a member for THREE SHORT DECADES, hence my predilection to ghold very passionate views on this terratry.

I reiterate that this current state of the Media demonstrating greater openness (when compared with Dr mahathir's 22-year regime...), boldness and tolerancce for dissenting views. To me it's an ILLUSION. REALITY will be demonstrated in the longer terms, and it would be as harsh as during the previous PM's time.
Dear ER, Always remember Operation Lallang 1987.

Today he mainstream press is still owned, and therefore dircetd, by the UMNO, MCA, MIC (and in Sabah, and Sarawak by other BN component parties) political masters and allied intetested parties. E.g. Utusan Melayu and NSTP Groups by UMNO, The Star and Nanyang by MCA, etc ad nauseum...? I have argued for a case to limit ownership to a maximum of 5% by any individual person or organisation and these parties must not have "common intetrests", or in BizSpeak, be able to
"ACT IN CONCERT"...
myGOoDfriend in the plural:Mave, Howsy,, Anak M, does this phrase ring a belle?

To Desi, it's good for the country, the present FACEOFF between Dr Mahathir and the Government -- bringing forth a SPRINGTIME OF OPENNESS.
Wait until the Circus becomes the Gladiators' Arena -- some "wolf" will be slaughtered, and I would gladly pay RM20 for his pound of flesh; no-lah, kae that DUA RINGGiiiiiiIT! It rhymes with GIGiiiiIt! See, Desi is able to write pomes in BM too!

I'VE AVERRED THAT IN THE LONGER TERM, the Fourth Estate under Pak Lah's regime is not going to be any better than during Dr Mahathir's iron-gripped regime, as can easily be prodicted when oldtimer like ZAM is appointed Minister of Information -- I had several times renamed it Ministry of Propaganda-ganda Wang Anda...

The "disappearing act" of The Star online report on Saturday's outing at the Kelab is like a magician's act ala "Then you saw it, now you don't" that howsy.blogspot.com screen-captured. Transient enjoyment of a shortlived springtime of media freedom -- the Chief Editors will now be united in chorus, again.
Let's Enjoy our blogosphere freedom while we can.


In another blog, I have writ, so Cut&Paste here~~~~~~~

"desiderata said...

maverick sm:

You are getting nearer the core issue -- at the end of IT ALL, it's the spoils of te victor, at the "retired" (retried?) victor's expense.

It's NOT over until that DFAT lady sings her swan song, at the sext UMNO General Assembly; if earlier, Pak Lah has to answer his Election pledges to the GE2004 4electorate, as urged by Anak M here. (And M is definitely not for Mahathir...:(

What follows is strictly from a newsman's lens ~~But along the way, I wish to see the Star's GEIC's head chopped OFF...about time. Then you saw the story, now you don't. Nasri's challenge -- Be a man! DO YOUR JOB!

If you can't or won't just step aside. OR jump ship. Watever, just don't call yourself a journo.

26/6/06 22:38"



Before I switch off, may I wish all the key players: MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES!

To my dear ER, Look at the Big Picture for the LONG TERM.
You intend to die in NegaraKU, don't we? or Migrate is on your mind ...?
Never mind/e, another day, another dime/Daim...Yes, this name will soon APpear. Wanna take a bet?

TO BE CONTINUED...?