KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) said it fully concurs with Assistant Local Government and Housing Minister, Datuk Edward Yong, on the timing of the RM388 million Sabah State Administrative Centre (Phase 1) project.
"Why now? Is it because this project is being used to channel political funds for the BN?" asked Chong in a statement, Wednesday.
He said the State government owes the people of Sabah a good explanation on whether there is a real and urgent need to build at Likas Bay.
Its Information Chief Chong Pit Fah consider this as appropriate and necessary since the project has raised eyebrows among the people, especially when Sabah is now the poorest state in the country and yet the State government can still afford to spend lavishly on such a mega project.
“What real benefit does it bring to the rakyat in Sabah? Certainly the fund of such magnitude could be put to better use to eradicate poverty and to improve the infrastructures in the state, than for building a lavish office for the ministers,” he said.
He said the decision to implement such a mega project inevitally also riaises doubts over the actual finan cial status of the State govemment, especially when it had in 2009 issued a RM544 million bond to raise capital for the Sabah Development Bank, which was a clear testimony that it (State government) has no liquid cash in hands.
This was despite the State government's constant boast of having RM2 billion in reserves.
In this respect, he questioned as to why the State government failed to call for open tender for the project, instead of awarding it directly to a Peninsular Malaysia-based company, Bina Puri Holdings Sdn Bhd.
"Why must it be Bina Puri? Even if there is no Sabah contractors who can carry out this project an open tender should be called,” said Chong.
He reminded that prior to and after becoming the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had on numerous occasions expressed his
conviction to ensure greater transparency and accountability in government spending, which includes open tender for all government procurements.
"The proposed Sabah Administrative Building project certainly did not conform to the Prime Minister's aspiration of transparency," he said.
Daily Express
Thursday, 11th August 2011
Page 3
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