Saturday, September 15, 2007

Shock After Shock

This was The Star's front page headline yesterday. While we can emphatise with the Indonesians for experiencing yet another devastating earthquake, I believe we poor Malaysians are really no better off with our own man made calamities. This is the same newspaper which front paged photos of screwdrivers to highlight the Auditor General's shocking recent findings a few days ago but relegated news about the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) to the inside pages. Perhaps this was because the latter involved an MCA ministry? A cheap shot, if you ask me, and a rather juvenile and pathetic attempt to divert public attention.

I had a post iftar (buka puasa) supper with a few of my ex Klang Port Authority mates a couple of nights ago and they include a couple of senior officials from PKFZ. Some very interesting if not shocking points have now surfaced:

> The RM15 million a year 15-year management contract with Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (JAFZA) included a clause which stipulated JAFZA will continue to be paid if the contract is terminated for any reason by either party. Thats RM225 million down the drain. Who drew up this half past six contract?

> A contract for laying a 20 km cable pipeline was priced at a shocking RM500 million, which comes to RM25 million per km. (If you recall the land was also priced at RM25 per sq ft. and they obviously must have a preference for this magic number). Is there any limit to man's greed?

Well, as they say, watch this space for more after shocks.

13 comments:

  1. Those responsible for the PKFZ fiasco must be made accountable. If not its just reflecting the man who run the country - having no guts or desires to fulfill his responsibility and allowing the rot at the top.

    The plundering of people money must stop or we are all going down the drain along with the country.

    ReplyDelete
  2. why are you surprise anymore? from day one, the prime motive of the project was to suck out as much money as possible.
    Capt Yusof, check it out the parties responsible for the "illegal" issue of government guarantees. another shocker for you if you peruse the date of issuance.

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  3. Captain, I congratulate you on your persistence on PKFZ. Someone has to pursue in a relentless manner and you appear to have taken this role.In Ministry of Transport they were ruffled for probably 2 weeks when you carried the PKFZ fiasco and now they are back to normal business. Soon it is forgotten and later forgiven and they carry on as if nothing has happened. Until the culprits are brought to book please continue. As one of your readers commented in your blog, this is "ibadah" as well.

    ReplyDelete
  4. the Star will have to report the pkfz debacle sooner or later bro. inevitable. chan kong choy may be MCA supremo but the star, which is MCA-owned, can't protect him forever. moreover, the priority is the MCA no 1, Ong Ka Ting, not the no 2.

    in relations to the media creating distractions away from the pkfz, i was told to try the NST as well. it seems that in yesterday's edition they have pics of of Azim Zabidi on page 2 and of Rahman Palil in page 5 or 6. The stories accompanying both of them had Islamic themes, it would also seem.

    Both men are deeply involved in the PKFZ issue.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Out of the $4.6 billion debacle. $1 bill was during Tun Ling's time and $3.6 bill under Chan Kong Choy. So far CKC has not said a word. Indeed during the excitement on PKFZ he left for Australia. When the press asked him why he was away he said it was private.Since he is not telling we have to assume he fled from the scene.When things died down he came back.All parliament questions on this matter is answered by the Deputy Minister who doesn't have a clue what really happen
    CKC must come out and DENY he is involved. Keeping quiet is not acceptable. If the Govt continues to keep him there then we have to also assume the Govt of the day including MCA condones this fiasco.
    WE DESERVE THE GOVT WE ELECT.

    ReplyDelete
  6. attan

    am still trying to figure out how these hypocrites face their children everyday. potray themselves to be good muslim but they have no hesitation to rob the people's money. they bring a bad bad image to Islam! dont get wrong, Islam is a great way of life and I have huge respect for those who practice this way of life genuinely.

    ReplyDelete
  7. 'jaflam' put it very well, I fully concur with what he said.
    The accused must be clearly identified, tried and if found guilty, be severely punished.
    No religious rituals will cleanse the perpetrators of their sins, let civil justice be transparently exercised without fear or favour.
    The people of Malaysia demand nothing less.
    Keep on bloging Captain Yusof.

    ReplyDelete
  8. capt,we don't need scientist to put 2 and 2 together.Any contractor from Pandamaran will be able to give a good estimated cost.Let me related you an incident, do you remember the cost of the railtrack connecting Southport to Westport? The Parliament gave $580 million. Ther was a portion right behind some tank installations in Soutgh port, One engineer from Ho Hup ( you guess owned the company then?)came to survey the location and started a conversation with my friend about the cost of aligning that portion of the railtrack. He said on paper,the cost was put at $5 million, and so far, amongst the quotations he had recieved , the highest quoted was $3.5 million. My friend then called his contractor( small timer from Pandamaran) to estimate the cost. You know what? He qouted $0.75 million and said it was negotiable!!!! Of course, the Ho Hup engineer quickly gave him the job. This the outcome of TDM,s tender by negotiation then. Now it would appear that was real chicken feed. Who do we blame? The originator and founder of this ART of Shystering or all his 'followers' thereafter?

    ReplyDelete
  9. anon 20.41
    you think CKC is going to squeak a sound? he is part of the flock and when everything kautim, he is back smiling.
    you think thats the last to hear from him. nope. the venerable ministry under CKC has just invented another leeching project called E-KESIHATAN. you wonder for whose health..eh..pockets. The SUN paper said its a RM0.5 billoon monopoly for the next 15 years. check it out on the personalities behind this parasitic project. Dont be surprise what you will find.

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  10. Thanks to Cap't Yusof, this PKFZ fiasco will not die a natural death, as the perps might hope. On a general level, the general public is aware but is a bit confused because of the spin on the "soft loan". They MUST be made more aware, because it's going to hurt their pockets. You ever see a "poor" BN politician? Do they really have the rakyat's interest at heart?

    Greed is the cause and the depths of depravity they're willing to go to - all the while some of the perps appearing "Islamic" to all and sundry. Something is terribly wrong here...

    Bang' Cap't, keep the crusade up please. This wanton pillaging MUST stop!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This privatazation project is really sucking the rakyat dry. Less is felt if the payment made via the government coffers cos the rakyat donr feel it individually. This ekesihatan will affect every cab driver in the country at RM85 per head just for a signed piece of paper indicating that one is healty enough to drive. Just like Puspakom, rickety old cars are still running around as kereta sewa. Just how do they check them?
    Another is the cost of getting your driver's license. Everything is expensive after privatisation.
    The JAFZA management contract is a real shocker. Why must they be paid even after termination? No wonder they wanted to be terminated, it is easier to make RM15 million a year after termination cos it cost them nothing since no work needed to be done.
    Oh my god how this people cheat us. Though the so called muslim among the PKA officials who were involved in the fiasco may profess to be muslims I consider them to be Kafir. They are a shame to Islam.
    No wonder MCA has to play lapdog to UMNO, so much is at stake if they refuse to. UMNO will just let them do watever they want to cheat the nation as long as they pledge loyalty to it.

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  12. Capt,

    How come the recent Auditor-General's report did not include the PKFZ? Or did I miss it somehow.

    Next subject. With neither LPK nor Kuala Dimensi having any higher-end experience in port management, do you think there will be 'vultures' coming in with so-called experts and/or consultants to introduce a new 'foreign' player into the game? (Read: Level 4 goons).

    ReplyDelete
  13. When asked in a recent survey amongst youths, most said they will want to serve the country by joining the govt service. When asked why? They replied that it was because govt job is easy and comes with lots of perks. One can only imagine what it means....
    Oh, is it just me or do I notice more road blocks all of a sudden??
    Hence with this kind of mentality, why is it then a wonder that we are being ROBBED BLIND? I say, we propose to have these bastards lined up on the wall and shot!

    ReplyDelete

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