Digest on Malaysian News

Sabah have qualified contractors but to make the issue tight, those involved awarded the project to Non-Sabahan. With outsiders instead of the locals in the loop, they won't be too worried about scrunity and leakages. Anyway, it still leak to DAP.

This case is just a tip-of-the-iceberg. They are plenty of suspected corruption that are not reported. That is why, Sabah has become one of the state with high cost of living. Because, contractors jacked up the price to compensate for the donation given to those incharge in awarding project. And the state treasury has to bear higher project cost. All this will be pass down to the consumer, the rakyat.

Extracted from: dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=56659 (Mar 31, 2008)

DAP wants ACA to probe RM9.8m Penampang project

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah DAP called on the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) to investigate whether the recent awarding of a RM9.825 million contract to build the new premises of the Penampang District Council (PDC) was above board.

It suspects irregularities in the awarding of the project.

Its Infrastructure Bureau Chief, Steven Jimbangan, in a statement claimed that the project had been directly awarded to a non-Sabahan contractor by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing without going through open tender.

The project was unveiled by Moyog Assemblyman Donald Mojuntin on behalf of the Minister, Datuk Hajiji Noor.

Steven, who is also Kepayan DAP Chairman, said the project should have first been referred to the District Council or the Public Works Department (PWD) for costing, particularly since it is funded by PDC revenue.

He cited "sources" as saying that the Penampang councillors were merely asked to endorse the project at the Town Planning Committee and not during the Council meeting.

"RM9.8 million is not a small amount and yet nobody knew about the project until the groundbreaking ceremony was held," he said. He was claimed that the shareholders of the contractor's company comprised non-Sabahans.

"Is Sabah really lacking qualified contractors that we have to award our projects to outsiders or is it because of other interesting factors that the Ministry is not telling us?" he asked.

He also questioned why only now the project was given the go-ahead when the Council had declared that its present building was unsafe for occupation way back in 1995.

Steven said the State Government should emulate what DAP-led Penang Government is doing by awarding all development projects that cost more than RM25,000 through open tender.

They should consider introducing election in the local government so as to ensure taxpayers' money is prudently spent and accounted for. He said the Council should, instead, be spend its money on pressing matters such as improving public infrastructures and amenities like roads, streetlights and drainage.