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Tee Keat invited
to answer
questions at forum
by Giam Say Khoon
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PETALING JAYA: The DAP will invite Transport Minister
Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat to a forum titled “RM12.5 billion
Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) Scandal: Will Heads Roll?” as a
guest to respond to questions on June 10.
DAP veteran leader and Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang
said yesterday that since Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib
Razak had directed Ong “to answer every question raised
by any party” on the PKFZ issue, “Najib is clearly prepared to
subject the PKFZ scandal to the widest and tiniest scrutiny
and for this reason, I hope he (Ong) will attend this forum to
answer all questions, whether by the panellists or concerned
members of the public”.
Lim said Ong had tried to pour scorn on the proposal
that the government cut losses and close down PKFZ as “a
premature statement by politicians who think they can make
well-informed financial decisions based on a few hours of
looking through the PKFZ report” and he will let “the finan-
cial consultants and management experts work out a more
viable solution based on further in-depth studies before a
more structured approach and solution is implemented”.
“Ong had said quite a mouthful but it is no answer at all. I
did not say last Friday that the Transport Ministry should cut
losses and liquidate the PKFZ, even allowing the Port Klang
Authority (PKA) to go bankrupt if this is one inescapable
consequence – but that such an option should be seriously
considered by the transport minister,” he told a press confer-
ence at the party headquarters here.
Ong had written in his blog on Saturday he was disap-
pointed with the statement by the Opposition and that
he had no role to play in working out the exact terms of
reference as it was mutually agreed upon by PKA and
PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), the audit firm for the PKFZ
report.
Ong stressed he was the person who commissioned
the report, advocated strongly for its release, directed the
report to be made available to MACC, and to put in place
mechanisms on the way forward.
“Handling this matter is not an easy task but I am taking it
seriously simply because it involves the people’s money and
interests, and any moves made should be based on sound
information and after a thorough study,” he said.
“It is much better than scoring political points through
taking the easy way out and providing cheap shots.”
In Penang, Ong said yesterday the government may look
into recovering money spent through overcharging for the
PKFZ project.
“The findings of the (PwC) report stated that there was an
element of overcharging and over-billing,” he said.
“It is our duty to engage legal experts and consultants
to look into it.
“If need be, we should even consider recovering some of
this so-called overcharging.”
Police find two more
‘lock-ups’ used by along
by Charles Ramendran
newsdesk@thesundaily.com
SHAH ALAM: Two more shoplots
used by along or loansharks as “lock-
ups” have been uncovered by police
in separate raids on Sunday at Pandan
Indah and another location not far
from where three loan defaulters were
inhumanely confined and rescued in
Seri Kembangan.
The “lock-ups” were similar to the
one uncovered by Gombak police at
Taman Bukit Serdang in Sri Kemban-
gan last Wednesday and belonged to
the same syndicate who confined
three men for between weeks and
months for failing to pay up loans
under RM4,000.
The raiding party did not find
Pandora’s anyone in the shoplots.
box of At a press conference at the Selan-
gor contingent police headquarters
subsidies yesterday, state police chief DCP
pg 11 Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said police
raided the shoplots following their
latest arrest of two brothers aged 28
and 29 on Saturday.
He said the suspects belonged to
the syndicate called the K9 Gang and
were responsible for debt collections
which they often did with threats
and intimidations such as abducting,
splashing paint, and glueing or pour-
ing glue into the locks of their debtors’
houses.
Police seized scores of banners,
stickers and name cards which bore
details of the loansharks’ moneylend-
ing services. They also found dozens
of cans of red paint and “super
glue”.
Man files
RM3.6mil
suit over
son’s death
KUALA LUMPUR: A man whose son died
while held under remand at the Sungai
Buloh Prison last month after allegedly
being assaulted by other remand prison-
ers, yesterday filed a RM3.6 million suit
against the government for negligence.
M. Ghaur Chandram, 52, a taxi driver,
named the Home Ministry secretary-gen-
eral and the prison’s director as the first
and second respondents respectively.
He also named the medical officer
on duty at the prison, the two wardens
of its remand section and the govern-
ment of Malaysia as the third to the sixth
respondents.
The suit was filed at the Civil High
Court registrar’s office here through the
law firm of Messrs Arnold Andrew & Co.
Ghaur Chandram is seeking a total of
RM3,661,000 in damages and other relief
deemed fit by the court.
In his statement of claim, Ghaur
Chandram alleged that the second to fifth
respondents failed in their duty to ensure
the safety of his son Uthayachandran.
He further alleged that there was delay
in notifying the family of Uthayachandran’s
death and that the medical records did not
state whether his son died at the prison
block or at the prison’s hospital.
The prison authorities, he alleged,
also paid scant regard to the grief his
family suffered as a result of the loss of
their son.
Uthayachandran, who was held in
remand over a drug case, died on May
18 last year. – Bernama
Khalid said police also also recov-
ered several cars that were reported
stolen. The cars were taken away
from those who had failed to settle
their loans and were used to kidnap
other debtors.
The investigators also discovered
that the syndicate, which had been
carrying out loansharking activities
for aboout three years, made a profit
of about RM40,000 a day.
“They resorted to all kinds of vio-
lent and wrongful ways to recover the
dues. If they did not get their payment,
PPP leadership crisis will be
settled this week: Kayveas
PETALING JAYA: The leadership tussle
in the People’s Progressive Party (PPP)
is expected to be “put to rest” by this
week, its president, Datuk M. Kayveas,
said yesterday.
He said the registrar of societies
(ROS) had all the relevant documents
with him and the only thing that he
had to ascertain was whether the
emergency general meeting (EGM)
last month held by his rival, Datuk T.
Murugiah, was legal or not.
“Our stand on the issue is clear and
that is we regard the EGM as illegal
because it did not follow our by-laws,”
he told Bernama.
“Under our by-laws, a candidate for
the post of the president should have
been a member for at least seven years
before he is eligible for the post.
“According to our records, Murugiah
had been a member since Nov 3.”
The other conditions needed for an
EGM were that it must have at least
the support of three-quarters of the
supreme council members and it also
should have a specific purpose and not
an election.
“Obviously, Murugiah did not meet
the requirement of the law,” he said.
Kayveas said he was glad Deputy
Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
was seeking the registrar’s report on
the issue.
He said all preparations for the
general assembly were on track and
that the meeting would be held as
scheduled on June 7 and it would be
officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Najib Abdul Razak.
The party completed its nomina-
theSun | TUESDAY JUNE 2 2009
Police are
looking for
these four
men to help
them in their
investigations.
They are
(clockwise
from top left)
Chan Ching
Fatt @ Ah Fatt,
Lee Chin Onn
@ Kai Chi, Yong
Hock Fai @ Alex
@ Fei Kai Sau @
Ah Fai and Ong
Leng Kok @
Franco
they would grab anything valuable
from the debtor,” he said.
Police obtained a four-day remand
order against the brothers and also
an extension of the remand order
against the three suspects caught on
Wednesday.
Khalid said police are hot on the
heels of six more members of the
syndicate who have gone into hiding.
The men are believed to still be in the
country.
Police released the photographs of
four of the suspects.
tions last Saturday in which Kayveas
was returned unopposed as the presi-
dent for a fourth five-year term. Nine
others were nominated for the three
vice-president’s posts, and 29 others
would vie for the 25 supreme council
seats.
A total of 2,200 delegates were
eligible to vote.
The fallout between Kayveas and
Murugiah, who is also a deputy min-
ister in the Prime Minister’s Depart-
ment, took place when Murugiah was
sacked from the party and held an EGM
where he was declared the “new PPP
president”. Since then, there have been
accusations and counter-accusations
between supporters of the two fac-
tions.
Kayveas reiterated that supporters
of both factions should “stop the press
war” for the sake of party unity and the
stability and image of Barisan Nasional,
of which PPP is a member.
“When the dust settles after this, it
would be easier for us to reconcile and
work together for the betterment of
the party and nation,” he said.
On Murugiah’s position as the PPP
representative in the government, he
said: “As of yesterday (Sunday), Muru-
giah is no more a PPP member as he
failed to appeal against his sacking.”
Asked whether the party would
seek the removal of Murugiah as a
deputy minister, Kayveas said: “Wait
till the general assembly.”
Bernama understands that there
were moves to table a resolution at
the assembly to seek the removal of
Murugiah.