Ong Tee Keat

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 5, 2009): The government is walking the talk with the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recommending that individuals allegedly involved in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal be investigated for criminal breach of trust, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the RapidKL LRT service here today, he said the ministry had cooperated with the PAC and had also commissioned the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report on the project as well as setting up three panels, like the corporate governance committee, task force and executive committee to address the shortcomings found by the report and to improve the competitiveness of the PKFZ.

"On my part, I have done that. I presume the investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the police are in progress and it is not for me to say anything about the investigation," he said.

On Wednesday, the PAC report on PKFZ had recommended that former transport minister Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy and former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager Datin Paduka O.C. Phang be investigated for criminal breach of trust.

PAC chairman Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid had said that it is now up to the MACC and police to decide whether Chan and Phang are liable for the crime.

Chan Kong Choy

O.C. Phang

Asked if he was satisfied with the outcome of the PAC report, the minister said he was glad the government is talking about transparency and accountability and it is now walking the talk.

The PKA has so far lodged reports with the MACC and police, together with relevant documents, against the culprits responsible for causing the PKFZ project to balloon to RM4.6 billion, and much more if current payment schedules are maintained.

On Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's statement on Tuesday that the National Automative Policy will be reviewed especially on the annual inspection of 15-year-old vehicles starting next year, to see if the new measure would give negative impact to motorists, Ong agreed that the roadworthiness of an old vehicle is important but the government is also concerned about the financial burden that the people have to bear with the implementation of the new ruling.

"There are vehicles older than 15 years and we need to make sure they are safe to be used on the road but we understand about the burden. So we are still studying the feasibility of the new ruling," he said.

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