theSun | FRIDAY M AY 8 2009
speak up!
Taxpayers want answers
WHEN Citizen-
Nades came to
the office one day
with information
on the impending
financial catastro-
phe which is the
Port Klang Free
Zone (PKFZ), I
must admit that
I put it in the
back of my head Down2Earth
to concentrate
on other issues by Terence Fernandez
which needed
our immediate
attention – such as the rape
and plunder of Selangor
by some individuals in the
administration then.
Perhaps it is because
we have seen too many
instances of public money
going down the drain that
we had developed some sort
of immunity towards such
news.
Anyway, Datuk Zakaria
Md Deros was flavour of the
month then and I was not
looking forward to mak-
ing more daily trips to Port
Klang to snoop around. The
exceeding mileage was tak-
ing a toll on both of us – mix-
ing business with pleasure,
sometimes to the wee hours
of the morning.
The first report penned
by Nades put the price tag
at RM2.1 billion for the land
and the development, but
when we came to know that
the price tag had escalated
and would cost taxpayers
a whopping RM4.6 billion
– money which we cannot
afford and perhaps don’t
even have – our priorities
changed. What is more
frightening is the prospect
of the final cost being RM12
letter
letters@thesundaily.com
Poor hill resident wants upgrade
WE refer to “Reconsider Pen-
ang Hill railway upgrade” (May
5). The project has been in the
pipeline for a long time and is
aimed to benefit the public.
The funicular railway is in
sore need of an upgrading not
only to increase its capacity and
reduce waiting times but also
to provide a safer and comfort-
able ride for passengers.
In addition, the railway is
more than 80 years old and
regularly breaks down. Whether
it is RM15 million or RM150
million, the need to upgrade
the railway is still there and
stimulate the economy it will,
regardless of the amount.
Assuming we take the
writer’s figure of RM25 a tour-
ist spending against a net loss
of RM9.4 million during the
construction period. What will
be the gain to the economy for
the next 30 years with the new
system which can take in 1,000
passengers an hour against
the present 250 passengers an
hour on an annual basis?
Assuming that the new
system will be able to carry
double the present number of
passengers for the first year of
operations which is equivalent
to lets say 1,000,000 visitors
against the 500,000 mentioned
by the writer, the total economic
benefit to the hill a year will be
billion – more
than four times
what the BMF
fiasco cost us!
Three years
down the road
and after much
digging, building
alliances and
even losing the
goodwill of some,
in our dogged
effort to get to
the bottom of the
story, there is a
sense of satisfac-
tion that auditors appointed
to probe the deal came to the
same conclusion as we did
in 2007 – that public money
was used to make those in
the inner circle rich; and that
more money may be thrown
in to salvage the project.
It may be inevitable.
We have come to a point
where the government has
no choice but to keep doling
out cash to save the venture
(a case of throwing good
money after bad?)
But what re-
mains to be seen is
if the Pricewater-
houseCoopers
report is worth
the paper it is
printed on. This
is because the
audit, we have
been told, reveals
a list of people who
behaved in a cava-
lier manner with
money which
was not theirs
– and these
are supposed
to be “experts”
who were put
in powerful posi-
tions albeit many
at least RM25 million using the
writer’s assumption of RM25
spent by each passenger. I am
sure with the new capacity
more shops and restaurants
will open and generate more
business and job opportunities
for the hill residents.
Over 10 years, at least
RM250 million in business will
be generated on the hill against
the present RM12.5 million loss
projected by the writer. Do we
want to pay RM12.5 million to
gain RM250 million or let the hill
maintain its RM12.5 million a
year? With the upgraded facili-
ties, there will be more oppor-
tunities for tourist business and
more jobs. We should not take
a narrow view of the temporary
effect of the closure but look at
the long-term gains.
If spending RM40 million to
generate RM250 million is not
an economic stimulus, then
what is? For the last 20 years,
the funicular railway has not
been upgraded and no new
facility has been added to the
summit of Penang Hill. The
shops are still the same and the
annual number of visitors has
never topped 600,000. What
would be the potential loss to
the tourism trade of Penang in
the next 20 years if we carry on
bringing only 500,000 people
up the hill?
TELLING IT AS IT IS 11
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man to take his seat know- be downright criminal if
ing he had vested interests those who brought PKA to
in a company dealing with the brink of bankruptcy are
PKFZ? not brought to book.
» How does Backbenchers But then again, would we
Club chairman, Bintulu MP be surprised if at the end of all
Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing of these, the books are closed,
due to political patronage tion of the board of the PKA? reconcile his role of being the taking advantage of the
more than what they could » Why were government voice of the people in Parlia- amnesia and short memory
bring to the table. agencies not consulted and ment, having taken an oath endemic of Malaysians?
Thanks to them, the Port the views of the attorney to protect their interests, with After all, does anyone
Klang Authority’s (PKA) general not heeded? the fact that his company is remember what happened
RM500 million reserves » Why was there no due implicated in questionable after the BMF scandal report
have come down to naught diligence done for a project dealings to make millions became public?
and the authority could go that cost over RM1 billion? from taxpayers’ money?
bust as the price tag of PKFZ » Why did past transport It is only fair that an
is expected to balloon even ministers issue guarantees inquiry on the whole fiasco As a taxpayer Terence de-
further costing PKA more they were unauthorised to is convened to allow those mands that those involved in
money that it doesn’t have. do so? implicated to give their side financial scandals be held ac-
The report is an unflatter- » Why weren’t open ten- of the story, as well as to flesh countable. He is deputy editor
ing dossier of inflated costs, ders called? out the culprits. special reports & investigations
non-compliance with due » How could those in the Judging from what we and is reachable at terence@
process and a case of “you know allow the PKA chair- have learnt so far, it would thesundaily.com
scratch my back, I scratch
yours”.
From businessmen and
assemblymen to managers
and ministers, there not
only should be answers but
also punitive action on those
who committed taxpayers to
a venture that was suspect to
begin with.
» Why did former PKFZ
general manager Datin
Paduka O.C. Phang enter into
deals without the authorisa-
Phang … report
indicates she did
not consult PKA
on certain issues.
Tiong … wears
two hats as MP
and majority
stakeholder
of firm which
benefited from
PKFZ project.
I am sure that the planners
must have been given a brief
from the powers that be that
the interests of all the people
should be taken. As a poor
hill resident, I am prepared to
wait 10 months to enjoy the
upgraded facilities for the rest
of my life notwithstanding
the objections of some elite
residents who fear that the
upgrading would threaten their
tranquillity and exclusivity of
their grounds.
I am assured by the JKR and
state government that they
will find ways to help residents
cope with the temporary in-
conveniences. I am prepared
to suffer 10 months to enjoy for
the rest of my life.
Is the writer really looking
at the best interests of the
people or at his own interest?
If I were an owner of a bunga-
low on Penang Hill, of course
I wouldn’t want the funicular
to be upgraded as it will bring
in crowds who will spoil the
tranquillity and exclusivity of
my house’s surroundings.
I hope all parties will work
together with the JKR and com-
plete the project speedily and
safely and bring back the shine
to a dilapidated facility.
A Poor Resident
Penang Hill