SPRM SEDIA SIASAT PENYELEWENGAN PROJEK DI SABAH ‘ TANPA GENTAR ATAU PILIH KASIH’ SEKIRANYA ADA ADUAN - ABU

SPRM Sedia Siasat Dakwaan Penyelewengan Projek Di Sabah

 KOTA KINABALU Nov 14, 2011: Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) sedia menyiasat dakwaan penyelewengan dalam projek pembangunan di Sabah.

Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed berkata menjadi tugas SPRM untuk menyiasat sebarang kesalahan rasuah tidak kira siapa 'tanpa gentar atau pilih kasih.'

"Menjadi dasar kami untuk menyiasat rasuah sekiranya ada aduan,"

katanya kepada pemberita selepas menyaksikan majlis menandatangani Memorandum Persefahaman antara SPRM dan Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB), sebuah syarikat berkaitan kerajaan (GLC) di Wisma SESB, dekat sini, Isnin.

SPRM Sabah diwakili oleh Pengarahnya Jalili Jaafar manakala pengarah urusan SESB Datuk Ir Baharin Din menandatangani bagi pihak SESB.

Abu Kassim diminta mengulas laporan sebuah akhbar tempatan yang memetik anggota Parlimen Kota Kinabalu daripada DAP Dr Hiew King Cheu yang menggesa SPRM menyiasat dakwaan penyelewengan dalam projek pembangunan luar bandar di Sabah yang diberikan menerusi Kementerian Kemajuan Luar Bandar dan Wilayah.

Hiew dilaporkan mendakwa penyelewengan itu membabitkan 49 projek, yang merupakan sebahagian daripada 209 projek pembangunan luar bandar yang diberikan oleh kementerian berkenaan untuk dilaksanakan bagi tempoh 2011 dan 2012.

Jumlah kontrak paling rendah dikatakan sekitar RM7.7 juta dan jumlah tertinggi adalah RM41.7 juta.

Ditanya sama ada DAP Sabah membuat laporan rasmi kepada SPRM Sabah, Abu Kassim berkata setakat ini SPRM negeri hanya mendapat laporan menerusi media.

Beliau berkata bukanlah tugas yang mudah untuk memerangi rasuah, kerana "tahun lepas sahaja, daripada 944 kes dilaporkan di seluruh negara, 424 kes terbabit dalam menawar atau memberi rasuah.

"Bagi tahun ini sehingga kini, kami telahpun merekodkan 357 kes menawar atau memberi rasuah," katanya. Mengenai pemeteraian MoU dengan SESB, beliau berkata MoU itu, yang bertujuan meningkatkan kerjasama penyiasatan antara kedua-dua pihak, adalah tepat pada masanya dan wajar.

Dalam hubungan ini, beliau menggesa pertubuhan lain, terutamanya GLC untuk mencontohi inisiatif SESB dalam menyingkirkan amalan rasuah.

Terdahulu, dalam ucapannya alu-aluannya, Baharin berkata kerjasama SPRM dalam membantu SESB mengendalikan beberapa kes berprofil tinggi seperti kes penyelewengan minyak diesel di Lahad Datu baru-baru ini telah 'membuka mata' masyarakat mengenai impak positif usahasama itu.

Beliau berkata sejak tahun lepas, sebanyak lima kes serbuan dan tangkapan dipercayai cubaan penyelewengan minyak diesel telah dibuat bersama-sama dengan polis bantuan SESB, SPRM dan polis di beberapa lokasi berasingan di Sandakan, Lahad Datu serta Tawau.

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Rural projects ‘shockingly costly’, claims MP

KOTA KINABALU Nov 13, 2011: Sabah DAP adviser Hiew King Cheu ahs questioned the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development about the high cost of water supply and electrification projects inrural areas.

He said there were some 49 contracts awarded to various companies to provide water and electricity supplies to various rural areas in the state.

“The costly projects of the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development have shocked the people.

“In Sabah, there are some 49 contracts awarded to various companies, covering areas from Pulau Panggi to Sipitang, and from the East Coast to the West coast and even on the islands.

“DAP recently discovered that the projects were extraordinarily and shockingly costly, where the difference between the lowest tender and the ‘selected contractor’ was so huge and some were 1,500 per cent higher,” he claimed yesterday.

The Kota Kinabalu member of parliament said the projects were for rural water supply and electrification for 2011 to 2012.

He said results showed that the lowest tender did not get the job, but a tenderer placed at number 22 on the list of tenderers was awarded the job.

“This is highly irregular,” Hiew said.

• He also pointed out that the ‘Projek Bekalan Elektrik Luar Bandar (BELB) Sambungan Talian Grid Satu (1) Negeri Sabah Tahun 2011-2012’ was awarded with a contract price of RM41,736,809.77 while the lowest bid was quoted at only RM7,775,000.00.
• “The ‘Projek Bekalan Elektrik Luar Bandar (BELB) Sistem Solar Hibrid’ on Semporna island was given to a tenderer who quoted a price of RM95,282,322.00.
• “The Solar Hibrid project to produce electricity for Pulau Panggi was contracted for RM81,475,281.42 with an 18-month completion period,” he said, adding that the power supply to Pulau Gaya cost RM42 million with a 24-month completion period.

He questioned the rationale in spending a huge amount of money to connect power to Pulau Gaya which actually required a few kilometers of undersea cable.

“The power supply from Labuan to be connected to the main power grid may not cost that much.

“There is already a power station on Pulau Gaya, and what the people there urgently needed is water supply. Why has the government not done anything to help them?” he said.

Hiew requested the Barisan Nasional (BN) government to explain why the Rural Development Ministry had awarded such highly priced contracts to companies, some of which are unknown in the construction industry.

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MACC told: Probe Shafie's projects

Kota Kinabalu Nov 13, 2011: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has been urged to investigate alleged irregularities in the rural development projects in Sabah awarded through the Federal Ministry of Rural and Regional Development.

DAP Member of Parliament Dr Hiew King Cheu claimed the irregularities involved 49 projects, which were part of the 209 rural development projects awarded by the Ministry for implementation between the period of 2011 and 2012.

The lowest contract sum was RM7.7 million and the highest sum was RM41.7 million.

Speaking to reporters, Saturday, Hiew said a bulk of these contracts involved rural water and power supply projects covering various parts of Sabah, from Pulau Banggi to Sipitang.

Hiew claimed that all the 49 rural development projects totaling RM1.3 billion were 1,500 per cent or 15 times higher than the normal contract price.

"It is ridiculously overpriced," he exclaimed. Only 129 of the 209 rural development projects awarded had been announced.

On top of that, most of these projects, which were either invited tenders, negotiated tenders, or directly awarded, which he claimed were not properly done through the Tender Board.

"Most of the companies awarded these projects are RM2 companies and some of the contractors involved are found to be directly linked to certain senior BN/Umno politicians from Sabah," he alleged.

Hiew said a careful study of the detailed tender documents provided by an insider indicated that the lowest tender did not get the job, but someone with a higher tender price of almost 1,500 per cent from the lowest bidder gets the job.

• For example, he said the "Rural Power Supply Project for the Connection of Power Grid No.1" (for 2011 - 2012) was awarded with a price of RM41,736,809.77 and the lowest tender price was only RM7,775,000.00, with a difference of RM33,961,809.77.
• While the "Hybrid Solar Power System" for the Semporna islands was awarded at a tender price of RM95,282,322 which many deemed too high a price.
• "With that amount of money, I can always get someone to build a power station," he said. Similar project was awarded to another company for a whopping sum of RM81,475,281.42 to supply power to Pulau Banggi, off Kudat.
• Another project involved the installation of a 4km long undersea power cable to generate power supply for Pulau Gaya at the cost of RM42 million.
• "A random survey conducted with several qualified local contractors revealed that this can be done at just RM5 million," he said.

He said what the Pulau Gaya folks urgently needed was clean water supply, and not power supply, citing that there's already a "power station" on the island.

He said it may cost another RM100 million if the water supply project is to be implemented by the Ministry after this.

To substantiate his claims, Hiew also distributed copies of the detailed tender documents containing the list of projects and names of contractors to the reporters.

He said the documents were earlier sent to the DAP Member of Parliament for Beruas, Ngeh Koo Han, who later extended some copies to him since they also involved projects implemented in Sabah.

Hiew also noted that when queried by Ngeh during the Budget debate session at the Committee Stage in the Parliament last week, the Minister concerned Datuk Shafie Apdal, refused to answer him.

Describing what transpired as blatant corrupt practice by those in power, Hiew urged the MACC to immediately swing into action to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

"We call on the MACC to immediately step in to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter as we cannot tolerate the manner the taxpayers' money being misused. We strongly believe there is a strong element of corrupt practice and abuse of power," he said.

Also at the press conference were Sabah DAP deputy chairman Frederick Fung, vice chairman Edward Mujie, Medical Bureau Chief Dr Felix Chong and Publicity Chief Chan Fong Hing.