REALLY?

From theSUN bright and bold today, comes this follow-up to **yesterday's scandalous uncover:

WEB EDITION :: Local News

Lesson learnt: Dept to avoid costly mistakes at Paya Indah wetlands park

PETALING JAYA (March 26, 2007): The government department rehabilitating the Paya Indah Wetlands has vowed against repeating the mistakes of the previous management, saying it was an expensive lesson learnt.

The Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan), which took over the project in May 2005 from Malaysian Wetlands Foundation (MWF), admitted that the previous management had not conducted thorough soil investigations before planting trees and had installed facilities that were expensive to maintain.

"It was a lesson learnt and we do not want mistakes to recur," said Paya Indah Wetlands principal assistant director Shahrudin Anan when contacted today.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid had recently announced an allocation of RM20 million for rehabilitation works giving a completion deadline of May. It is learnt that Perhilitan is spending only half that amount.

theSun had today front-paged a report that the eco-tourism project opened in 2001 had nothing to show after an expenditure of RM68 million as it closed in 2005.

The previous management was saddled with unpaid bills, lawsuits, irregular financial procedures and lack of transparency. Those associated with the project claimed it failed because of ill-construed ideas and poor management.

In Parliament, the Public Accounts Committee chairman told theSun it would find out from the Auditor-General's Office where the project got its funding from. Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said the parliamentary select committee needed this information to determine whether it had jurisdiction over the project and the MWF which was incorporated as a company in 1997.

"The company might be out of our jurisdiction," said Shahrir.

However, if the RM68 million came from a ministry, the PAC would have reason to question it.

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang was more direct in his response. He said it was yet another government project down the drain and was yet another instance of breakdown in public service delivery. "All the money spent has led it nowhere," he said.


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DESIDERATA spied a familiar name *** in theSun frontpage report March 26, 2007, and so asked -- in fact, shortest Commentary in my Blog thus far, REALLY?:

***Read howsy.blogspot.com about that Sports Centre in London -- I hear this SENsintrovert goes there/dare daily for workouts, or just looking at God's wellformed human anatomies. Part of his doctoral studies in a subject to do with Life -- BIO means that, yes, Dr How?


RM68m down the drain


It was billed as the nation's premier eco-tourism attraction when it was opened in 2001. However, today, the Paya Indah Wetlands is a testimony to the wastage of millions in taxpayers' money.

Now, amid the government's move to pump in an additional RM20 million to revive the park, accusations are flying between the park's consultants and the Malaysian Wetlands Foundation (MWF) -- see accompanying stories below -- on why Paya Indah Wetlands cost taxpayers RM68 million with nothing to show, other than a dossier of unpaid bills, lawsuits, irregular financial procedures and the lack of transparency.

***MWF's former chief executive officer Muralee Menon was the sole signatory to some of the cheques, which although not illegal, was not a prudent practice, said financial experts.

Menon, who now advises the Cabinet Committee on Sports headed by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, declined to be interviewed for this report. When contacted, he retorted: "They can say what they want."

While the government cited manpower restructuring, high maintenance costs and failure to recoup losses when the park abruptly closed on Feb 1, 2005, those involved in the project claimed that ill-construed ideas and poor management led to its closure.

Consultants and suppliers refused or were unable to work or provide goods and services as they were not paid on time or at all.

"A large part of the management of the project called for consultants to spend their own resources with an undertaking by MWF to reimburse them. However, payments were late and it came to a point where we could not afford it anymore," said a consultant who is being sued by suppliers for defaulting in payments.

In turn, he has sued MWF for breach of contract. He turned down an out-of-court ex-gratia payment of RM200,000 with MWF accepting no liability.

A project engineer said another cause for the work delay was the sudden suspension of several contractors, engineers and consultants by MWF.

"The view of some consultants who are experts in their fields sometimes clashed with MWF's vision and practices.

"This stand-off would end with the consultants being replaced," he said.

Consultant engineer Douglas Chow said the management failed to work on projections and existing constraints.

"Revenue-generating programmes -- including the RM10 gate collection and the rental of chalets -- were insufficient for the park's annual RM2.5 million operating cost," he said.

A market square, floating horse trail, luxury chalets and an RM800,000 restaurant were part of the plan.

Wetlands International Asia Pacific (WIAP) executive director Faizal Parish was involved in formulating the project's masterplan.

"If it were up to us, the cost would be minimal ... from a few hundred thousand ringgit to a few million," said Faizal, who is Global Environment Centre director.

"RM68 million is way too much to spend on the park. We were focused on the natural resources of the wetlands as an attraction, but there were others who were more focused on erecting elaborate structures," he said.

Indicating that such a sensitive ecological tract was not run by professionals, Faizal said the introduction of flora and fauna alien to the wetlands, such as water hyacinths and Chinese cranes, was dangerous to the habitat.

"But there were some people who thought they knew better and felt we were asking too many questions ... So, after awhile, we were cut off."

When the park closed, Menon's successor, CEO Nor Hisham Ismail, said it would reopen after a management restructuring.

The park is home to 210 species of birds, 26 species of mammals and 15 crocodiles. It also houses three of four hippopotamuses -- gifts from the Botswana government -- which were sponsored by Telekom Malaysia. One hippo died of an infection.

The MWF was incorporated as a company in 1997. A recent check with the Companies Commission revealed that its directors were former journalist Datuk Ahmad Talib, Nor Hisham and Menon.

Park the brainchild of former PM

THE 3,100ha Paya Indah Wetlands was the brainchild of then prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who had wanted a park in the heart of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC).

Managed by the Malaysian Wetlands Foundation (MWF), the idea was conceived in 1997 and was to be realised in stages from September 1998 to coincide with the completion of the KL International Airport (KLIA) and the meeting of the 1998 Asia Pacific Economic Caucus (Apec), which Malaysia hosted.

Despite the Asian financial crisis and a series of peat fires in 1998, Paya Indah Wetlands was opened in October 2001.

While it was reported that the government channelled RM33.4 million into the park, consultants and engineers who worked on it said the cost to taxpayers was actually RM68 million.

"The initial budget was RM200 million which was then scaled down. Mahathir said the initial cost was too much, especially in the wake of the financial crisis in 1998," said a former consultant.

The management of the wetlands has since come under the purview of the Wildlife Department.

A skeleton crew of eight people are looking after the park, which was then at the mercy of illegal sandminers.

There were also fears that it would be taken over by developers as the Selangor government received at least three applications for residential projects.

These fears, however, were allayed on March 20 when Environment and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid announced that the park will reopen in July, with an additional RM20 million grant.

A recent visit to the wetlands revealed that rehabilitation work is under way by a new contractor, Gema Padu-Grinterra JV Sdn Bhd. A project notice board outside the park stated the work is expected to be completed by May 22.

NOTE: I invite Howsy to Cut&Paste his historical reports on the Sports Centre nearest his London aboide, can oblige, Sir? or Doctor of Biology?