YOURSAY | ‘Release all direct nego contracts from 2013 under BN and the past six months under PN.’

Putrajaya releases details of 101 direct award contracts

PurpleJaguar0553: Here’s a brief summary and estimation of the expenditure (from the list of 101 government contracts that were awarded by the Pakatan Harapan government without open tender):

1. Double-track rail project - RM4.47 billion (it was originally directly awarded by BN, but Harapan renegotiated the contract and reduced the cost).

2. Directly awarded contracts under the Home Ministry (Muhyiddin Yassin was the minister under Harapan) - RM500 million.

3. Directly awarded contracts under the Housing and Local Government Ministry (Zuraida Kamaruddin was the Harapan minister) - RM170 million.

The above total was RM5.14 billion, all of which incurred by Perikatan Nasional (PN) ministers.

Expenditure incurred to GLCs (government-linked companies) - approximately RM372 million. Mytv set-top box project for B40 to reduce digital gap between rich and poor - RM254 million. The total for special services - RM925.7 million.

Further non-BN awards and ‘non-traitorous’ Harapan ministers directly award contracts - approximately RM1.47 billion.

What is Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz’s point? He seems to have none. He’s trying to pull wool over the eyes of the electorate by giving a list and thinking that no analysis will be done.

MS: Zafrul only did the teaser in Parliament when he claimed that 101 projects worth a total of RM6.61 billion were approved by the Finance Ministry through direct negotiations under the former Harapan administration.

It’s to incite the NGOs specialising in the lodging of police or MACC reports, following which those underworked agencies will have to swing into action.

That was the only reason for the revelation, designed solely to distract everyone else from the “Khairuddin (Aman Razali) cluster headache” (over the minister’s skipping Covid-19 quarantine controversy) that Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is suffering from, and to harass former finance minister Lim Guan Eng and company.

The finance minister will now have to take the heat. When the ship of state is taking in water like nobody's business, it is important that distractions come in quick succession.

RifRaf: Somebody asked for the list. Zafrul gave the list. What’s the problem? He just prepared a report. He wasn’t involved in any of these direct negotiations.

If he didn’t give the report, you would say he was hiding something. Now that he has given the report, he is tarred and feathered.

I don’t know him from Adam, but for me, I don’t understand why so many feel he did wrong by releasing the list. Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.

Myviews: @RifRaf, it goes to show your poor understanding of the initial intention of the finance minister.

If you still cannot understand, it is to make his predecessor looks bad by allowing direct negotiations instead of open tender. Now that the issue is being forced on to him by his predecessor, Zafrul has no choice but to reveal them.

At the same time, Zafrul is trying to justify his original ill-intention by saying that direct negotiation is “allowed under certain circumstances” (which everyone in government and the opposition knows)

The point is, why didn't the minister say so initially instead of being forced to do so? It's not a question of “damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't". It's the ill-intention behind it.

GrayFalcon6142: Yes, read between the lines. What Lim claimed is a double-edged sword. It implied some dubious deeds of PN leaders, who are former Harapan leaders.

Nonetheless, it also exposes Harapan leaders being not as steadfast and principled enough to defend the reform agenda as per stated in the Harapan manifesto.

Instead of ditching the BN old practices, Lim had succumbed to the “demands” of some Bersatu leaders to let them “enjoy” the fruits of the direct negotiation contracts.

BusinessFirst: I see an actual internal PN fight going on. This is just a smokescreen. It is obvious that when Zafrul made this statement, he knows that the opposition will ask for details. This is bait.

As most in the opposition know, the ministries that were given the most money to spent are now run by Bersatu MPs, then and now - Home (Muhyiddin), Economic Affairs (Azmin Ali), Housing (Zuraida), etc.

Umno was not in power then. Any bullets will either damage Harapan or Bersatu leaders. So, it is a win-win for Umno. Anything bad that comes out will reflect badly on Bersatu leaders.

This is all a shadow play that is coming since they all expect GE15 to be called soon and are jostling for positions. Umno is probably even seeing if they can ditch Bersatu and win outright as BN.

Who will benefit? Umno leaders Najib Abdul Razak and Ahmad Zahid Zahid. ‘If all are dirty why pick on me’ will be the narrative. The finance minister, after all, is close to Najib, coming from CIMB Bank as an acolyte of Najib's brother.

When will the trigger be pulled for GE15? My guess, it depends on the Sabah elections results and whether Umno loses power in Johor. The fewer states Umno is in control of, the harder it is to dominate in an election.

Look at Sabah for instance, where it is clear Warisan has the initiative. Hence, if they feel that they are losing control of things, they might just pull their support and call for snap elections.

Malaysia Bharu: Direct negotiations have, all these umpteen years, been the brainchild of Umno-BN kleptocracy.

One that comes to mind is the RM250 million cows-and-condos scandal involving the family of former women, families and communities minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. Malaysians have yet to see the cows, the condos or the money.

Since Umno has seen fit to expose the 101 cases worth RM6.1 billion transacted as direct negotiations under the Harapan government, it is only fair that on the same token, Zafrul also reveals the details of the directly negotiated contracts dispensed by the kleptocracy during the time of Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) or his more favoured moniker, Apa Malu Bossku.

The fact that Zafrul has seen fit to disclose confidential matters during the Harapan stint is seen as an attempt to sow suspicion or smear the image of Harapan as corrupt.

Hrrmph: Unfortunately, most people will read that the 101 contracts were awarded without tender. How many will analyse the matter? That is what Zafrul/PN is banking on.

The majority will assume that our government officials will represent the matter as it is because supposedly, they are not fraudsters.

But they are clearly misrepresenting the issue and are not even really bothered to hide the fact. Why? Because they know most people are not able to think past whatever they say. This is so despicable and underhanded.

IndigoTrout2522: Indeed, the finance minister must also release all direct negotiation contracts from 2013 under the BN government and the past six months under PN.

Lim and other Harapan leaders had requested for the release of open contracts under Harapan, so why should BN and PN be afraid to release those during their time? Be transparent now.

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past one year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 500,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.