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Independent review
panel on Eurocopter
purchase proposed
THE Public Accounts Committee
(PAC) has suggested that
an independent review
panel be set up to advise
the government on the
purchase of Eurocopter’s
EC 725 helicopters.
The proposal is among recom-
mendations contained in the commit-
tee’s report on the Eurocopter deal
distributed to MPs on Dec 4.
In a statement yesterday, the PAC
said the proposal was to ensure there
would be value for money in the deal.
It said the independent panel should
comprise experts in related fields, with
the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime
Minister’s Department managing their
appointments.
“The PAC is not able to ascertain
whether the cost to purchase the Euro-
copter EC 725 is high or otherwise. The
PAC was told that military requirements
differed from one country to another,”
the statement said.
The Defence Ministry had expressed
intention to buy the helicopters to re-
place the ageing Nuri aircraft, which it
had been using since 40 years ago.
The government, however, decided
to postpone the purchase because of
the current global economic condition.
The PAC also said the Defence Min-
istry and related central agency should
conduct price negotiations with the
aircrat’s supplier.
For that purpose, it said, market stud-
ies should be carried out as basis for the
negotiations.
It was also important for the Defence
Ministry to carry out test flights and
physical inspections apart from moni-
toring the production of the EC 725 and
making sure payments were made in
accordance with the work progress.
There should also be a pre-delivery
inspection as well as testing and com-
misioning prior to making the final pay-
ment, it said.
To ensure the government’s interests
were taken care of in the procurement
contract, the PAC suggested that the
mnistry seek the views of the attorney-
general before signing the contract.
The aircraft’s specification should
also be spelled out in the contract, it
said.
The PAC also felt that the purchase
should be made at the latest by 2011 as
the Nuri could only be used until 2015.
“It takes three years to prepare
the aircraft and another year for flight
training,” it said, adding that the govern-
ment should reconsider its decision to
defer the purchase of the Eurocopter.
– Bernama
Husna Yusop and Giam Say Khoon at the Dewan Rakyat
MACC bill passed after
two days of debate
THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
(MACC) Bill was passed by the Dewan Rakyat
last night after two days of debate.
Several attempts by the Opposition to
amend the bill, centred mostly around the
separation of powers between the public pros-
ecutor and the MACC, were not successful
and when the voice vote was called just before
8pm, the “ayes” drowned out the “nays”.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad
Jerit Badawi had tabled the bill, together with the
Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) Bill,
used on Monday.
children Earlier, winding up the debate on the bill at
illegally, the policy stage, Minister in the Prime Minister’s
Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz said
say cops that “similar to the status of the ACA now”,
pg 11 the government has no intention to place the
MACC and the Special Committee on Corrup-
tion under the charge of the Parliament.
The Opposition had said it is only a “cos-
metic move” for the MPs to be appointed to
sit on the committee if it is not put under the
charge of the Parliament but Nazri said the
government made the decision taking, as an
example, the case of Hongkong’s Independent
Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
“We have never decided for the commission
to be placed under the Parliament because
it would result in decision-making based on
popularity in the House. Someone who is popu-
lar may be considered not guilty,” he said.
“In terms of justice, democracy is never a
determining factor. No way, because we also
practise partisan politics. So, we will not place
the MACC under the Dewan Rakyat.”
He said the government has its own ration-
ale in deciding to set up the committee on an
administrative basis.
Nazri also said it is not true the ICAC has
never faced problems with prosecution when
deciding whether or not to pursue a case.
He said it faces the same situation as the
ACA, and Hongkong’s secretary of justice
had disagreed with some of the results of its
investigation.
Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
had observed during the debate on the bill on
Monday the situation in Hongkong is different
from Malaysia “because the credibility and
independence of the Attorney-General’s (A-G)
Alhamdullillah, says PM
DATUK Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has
expressed his happiness that the Malaysian
Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Bill was
passed by the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
“Alhamdullillah,” the prime minister said
at a briefing with editors at Parliament House
here.
The Dewan Rakyat sitting yesterday passed
the bill with a minor amendment to Clause
36(1)(b), to amend the words “Public Prosecu-
tor” to “Commission Officer”.
Abdullah said the adoption of the MACC
Karpal asks Zaki again to step down
KARPAL SINGH (DAP-Bukit Gelugor) sent an
open letter to Chief Justice Tan Sri Zaki Azmi
yesterday asking him to resign over what he had
allegedly told a newspaper of his involvement in
bribing court officials when he was a practising
lawyer in 1987.
In the letter, Karpal said Zaki cannot and
should not deny having uttered what was at-
tributed to him in a report published in New
DAP wants to debate fishermen’s strike
CHONG CHIENG JEN (DAP-Bandar Kuching)
moved an urgent motion under Standing Orders
18(1) yesterday to debate the strike by fisher-
men nationwide since last Friday.
In a statement, he said the strike was started
because the government had failed to address
the problems faced by the fishermen.
He said the reduction of the price of diesel for
the fishermen from RM1.43 to RM1.30 a litre was
not enough to relieve their burden.
“The fishermen have suffered losses each
theSun | WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 17 2008
Chambers are questionable”.
Nazri said the issue among most of the op-
position MPs is they have no confidence in the
integrity of the A-G. “Under this act, the power
to determine whether to prosecute or not is
made by the deputy public prosecutor, who
will be placed on secondment at the MACC.
In this case, the point you (Anwar) raised does
not arise,” he said.
“If it still happens, it would be a problem
with the A-G as an individual, not the chambers
as a whole. If it is a problem concerning an
individual, we deal on the matter with him. But
it is also not right to suggest that the A-G be
made a minister and sit in the Parliament.”
Referring to a proposal by Dr Dzulkefly
Ahmad (PAS-Kuala Selangor), who wanted
the A-G to be made more accountable, Nazri
said that by making the A-G a minister, he will
become an executive member. He said the MPs
should differentiate between the A-G as an
individual and as an institution.
“When the A-G’s Chambers has made a
decision based on the power entrusted on
it, even if the A-G was not around at that
time, there is no need to call him over the
telephone to inform him or refer the decision
to him,” he said.
He said should a “better A-G with a higher
integrity level”, as opposed to the current A-G
criticised by the opposition MPs, be appointed
later, the MPs would surely not question his
decisions and, in fact, would call for him to be
given more freedom.
Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) said the
problem with the A-G is he tends to comply
with the executive and is politically-influenced
but he does not sit in the Parliament and,
therefore, the MPs could not question his
decisions.
To this, Nazri said the government would
inform and explain to the MPs whatever deci-
sions made by the A-G.
R. Sivarasa (PKR-Subang) insisted that the
problem does not actually lie only with the indi-
vidual A-G but the system itself. “It is a systemic
problem,” he said.
To calls for the MACC and the Special Commit-
tee on Corruption to be placed under Parliament,
Nazri said similar with the status of the ACA now,
the government has no intention to do that.
represented his desire to fulfil the promises
contained in the Barisan Nasional (BN) manis-
festo during the 2004 general election.
He hoped the MACC would function more
effectively than the Anti-Corruption Agency
(ACA) because it would have more than 5,000
staff who would be trained in the various as-
pects of preventing corruption.
He said a more attractive salary package
would also be offered to woo more credible
and capable people to serve in the MACC.
– Bernama
Strait Times on Nov 8.
Karpal said since Zaki has not made a
demand for the newspaper to retract the
report and apologise to him, and neither has
he asked the attorney-general to have the
newspaper charged with publishing a false
report, Zaki will also agree there is no neces-
sity for a trial in view of his “public admission”
to corruption.
time they were out to sea and this has affected
their lives,” Chong said.
“The situation has turned worse because
the government allows foreign fishing vessels
to fish in our waters, which has destroyed the
marine ecology and reduced the production of
sea food.”
Chong said the fishermen will continue to go
on strike until their demand for the diesel price
to be reduced is met. He said there is an urgent
need for the House to debate the issue.