THE Pakatan Harapan (PH)-led Selangor state government and DAP need to come clean as to how Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd was selected for the demand responsive transit (DRT) Selangor Mobility Initiative pilot project had its CEO Ramachandran Muniandy not be the husband of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
This is because the explanation by Selangor Investment, Trade and Mobility Committee chairman Ng Sze Han appears to confirm that the appointment did not undergo an open tender process, according to national MCA Youth secretary general Saw Yee Fung.
“The Transport Ministry (MOT) helmed by Anthony Loke Siew Fook is implicated as the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) which falls under MOT’s jurisdiction had approved the selection,” Saw pointed out in a media statement.
“It is thus safe to suggest that the Transport Minister who also hails from DAP (Loke is the party’s secretary-general) is implicitly linked in the award of the project to the husband of another DAP minister without going through an open tender process.”
Referring to the statement by Ng w, a letter of intent was submitted to the service operator company while the appointment letter was issued three months later.
“Such efficiency is also rarely seen,” asserted MCA Youth ’s Saw. “This incident has called to question the competency, accountability and transparency of Putrajaya and the SelCAT (Selangor state Select Committee of Competency, Accountability and Transparency) proudly bandied by the Selangor state government.”
Against the backdrop of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar having repeatedly emphasised the unity government’s determination to combat corruption, Saw claimed that the occurrence of such opaque operations severely undermines the PM’s slogan of Malaysia Madani.
“For more than a decade become wresting federal power, PH has repeatedly emphasised that all government contracts must be under an open tender process to demonstrate the principle of government transparency,” recalled Saw who contested in the Bayan Lepas parliamentary constituency during the 15th General Election (GE15).
“However, this rhetoric becomes lost in the sands of history after PH came into power. It seems that everyone has changed their stance once in power without even bothering to postulate some semblance of avoiding suspicion. This reveals their true colours of saying one thing but practising something else in a simple, yet crude manner.”
Given that a scandal has erupted, Saw wanted the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to intervene by thoroughly investigate the matter to ensure that the project award was not due to any nepotism or preferential treatment.
“MCA Youth also urges DAP to uphold the standards it applied to the previous government and demand that leaders suspected within the party take leave until the MACC concludes its investigation,” she added. – May 26, 2024
Main image credit: Hannah Yeoh Facebook
