Monday, February 01, 2010

All About A RM2 Company

Dropped Penang PKR Chief and MP for Bayan Baru, Zahrain Hashim dropped a bombshell a few days back by giving The Star an exclusive, calling Penang Chief Minister, a "dictator", a "chauvinist" and a "communist". Where, most will ask, did that come from?

Short of Zahrain telling you the "why" himself, or anyone who can read his mind, we can only speculate on the reasons for his incredible outburst.

Penang DAP has provided some plausible reason for this. Firstly, could Zahrain be a closet racist, and after being dropped by PKR as the Penang chief become politically frustrated?
[Chow Kon Yeow, Penang DAP Chief] also rapped Zahrain for questioning why a third of Lim’s speech during the first Pakatan Rakyat National convention last Dec 19 was in Mandarin.

“Clearly Zahrain was absent as Lim had spoken 85 per cent in Bahasa Malaysia with the remainder 15 per cent in English and Mandarin. But even if one third of Lim’s speech had been in Mandarin, is it a crime to speak in one own’s mother tongue? This extremist approach befits a typical Penang Umno leader and not a PKR or Pakatan Rakyat leader,” Chow added, saying Zahrain appeared politically frustrated over his removal as Penang PKR chairman.
Or could it be because of a RM2 company?
“Further, Lim had informed me [Chow] of Zahrain frustrations with Lim for refusing to endorse Zahrain’s decision last year as Chairman of Island Golf Properties in awarding a tender for the privatised management of the Bukit Jambul Golf Club to a RM2 company.

“As Chairman of PDC, Lim had recommended that the Board of Directors over-rule the award of tender and called for a fresh retender... The Board of Directors of PDC had accepted Lim’s recommendation that to give the tender of running the only golf club in Penang worth tens of millions of ringgit to a RM2 company would not comply with Penang’s CAT governance of Competency, Accountability and Transparency. Giving contracts to a RM 2 company would make a mockery of change that Penangnites voted for in the 2008 elections and make Penang Pakatan Rakyat no different from BN,” he added.

Chow said by holding firm to CAT, the Penang state government has been able to turn a projected deficit of RM35 million in 2008 budget to a record surplus of RM 88million.
The next question is, is this true? Or did we make the story up to cover up for Guan Eng's "dictatorship"?

Zahrain did not refute the claim that he wanted to award the contract to a RM2 company. He only offered lame excuses as to why he did so:
Kata beliau, apabila tender pengurusan kelab itu dibuka hanya sebuah syarikat yang membuat bidaan.

“Oleh kerana hanya satu syarikat mengemukakan bidaan, maka lembaga kelab memutuskan agar syarikat berkenaan menaikkan modal berbayar dan diberikan tawaran projek pengurusan.

“Ini keputusan lembaga, bukan keputusan saya seorang selaku pengerusi kelab... ini keputusan bersama lembaga,” kata beliau.

So first, he claimed that only ONE company made an offer to manage the Golf club, the only one on Penang Island. Secondly, it was the Board's decision and nothing to do with him.

I can only say that it is laughable that in an "open" tender (if it was ever an "open" tender) to manage Penang Island's sole golf club which is owned by Penang Development Corporation, only ONE company, and only a RM2 company without any track record of managing golf clubs was interested in submitting a bid to manage the club.

And even if there was only 1 bid by such a RM2 company, then it will then be reasonable to expect the tender to be called off, and a re-tender exercise be carried out so that more qualified firms will bid to manage the club.

But no, Zahrain had wanted the RM2 company to be awarded the contract to manage the multi-million ringgit golf club where he was appointed the chairman by the Penang State Government.

And guess what, with the re-tender exercise, it had no problems attracting proven and successful golf club management companies to take part in the tender exercise.

So Zahrain, was the Chief Minister not right to cancel the initial award? Were you upset because you were not "consulted" or because the RM2 company was not successful in the bid? Why don't you explain further who are the owners of this RM2 company, what is their background and track record?

The Pakatan Rakyat government has no time for the practise of selective favouritism in the management of the government affairs. We are serious about implementing a competent, accountable and transparent government. Anybody who doesn't share these goals can go join UMNO where crony contracts, for the moment anyway, are still aplenty and awarded without even the need of a tender, open or closed.

And Zahrain has the cheek to claim that "Saya seorang (pemimpin) yang ada prinsip. Jangan perlekehkan saya.” What a joke!

18 comments:

KY said...

Oooiii TONY.....You are MISSING the damn point.

It's NOT about RM 2 company, it's NOT about any GOLF CLUB & it's certainly NOT about re-tender exercise.

"IT'S ABOUT 10 MPs JUMPING OUT & GIVING BN THE BLADDY 2/3 MAJORITY". Get it, dude???

Write whatever rubbish you like but you are NOT addressing the current problem. The more SHIT you write, the more SHIT Pakatan Rakyat is gonna end-up with.

Can you please SHUT THE FARK UP??? For once at least??? Please??? You're writing COCK & rubbing salt into the wound.

Runaway Train said...

Stop bitching about history & leave the nonsense writings to some other donkeys.

Pack your bags & head for Penang straight away (I mean NOW)!!! Call for an emergency meeting in Penang & start thinking of ways how to sustain your numbers instead of decreasing it.

The past is the past...no point grumbling about it. You're a MAN & not an old lady complaining about the price of pork that had shot up.

Sorry to call you this but you're indeed an idiot to write about the past instead of focusing on the present.

Anonymous said...

Kick him out of the House of PR. 敗家仔!

Anonymous said...

Now what should we do with these people is for their leadership to decide.
The unfortunate or fortunate thing is there are too many of these INSINCERE politicians in PR. Unfortunate is it's creating havoc in PR, fortunate is we know early who these people are.

Shawn Tan said...

He has principles - just a different set.

Anonymous said...

Get rid of a corrupt bastard like this guy. Give him to UMNO. Let them have him. Let the corrupt joint the corrupts.

kiatng said...

We shouldn't allow corrupt politicians to hold us ransom in maintaining the majority. Expose them!

Justin C. said...

To KY and Runaway Train,

Fair comments are allowed but profanities and name calling just shows your retardness level.

Plus Tony is too mature for these nonsense.

If you want, go ahead and start your own blog and f around till kingdom comes =)

Uncle Lau said...

Really like an old lady. Grumble, grumble & grumble.

What happens if there are really 10 MPs cross over? What's written here is all useless.

It's the conclusion that counts & not the process. Sudah nyanyuk kah, brada Tony?

Anonymous said...

Someone need to blog to clarify things. Blogging wouldn't take much time. So, why he can't blog to all of us so that we know what is exactly happen in Penang gov now.

I worry for PR status now. People attacking PR from inside as well as outside.

Tony, you all have to work REAL hard to maintain the reputation coz if this time, if PR fall, all our hope will vanish. Malaysia will remain like this forever already..people will not want to dream for hope anymore..what's the point..

Anonymous said...

Found the post copied below in Patrick Teoh's blog. You may be interested to know about MCA's plans in your constituency.
---------

Anonymous said...
Sorry for being off-topic here.
Readers of the Sunday Star today might have come across editor Wong Chun Wai's fawning op-ed piece on former Malaysian Thomas Cup star Yew Cheng Hoe. Yew, the president of a resident's association in Petaling Jaya, is praised by Wong, among other accolades, as being more effective than some elected political representatives. And not for no reason. Apparently Yew is being courted by the MCA as a possible parliamentary candidate for Petaling Jaya.
Sorry CMF, MCA would rather try out new, albeit somewhat elderly, talent than depend on deadbeats and losers. Besides you have cast your lot with the wrong camp.

8:49 PM
------------

Anonymous said...

A very one of typical "malai-sia" politicians, greed, money and power are all they want, and not the people who elected him into the office. See how cheap we are! The fault is us, the people! Dear fellow malaysias, be wise now, know who to elect! Elect those who can work for the people and not who he knows... "MALAI-sia"......sad... wonder when these "kids" will actually grow up...another 50 years...no eyes see...

OTL said...

Dear YB Tony,

As I just comment on YAB Lim Guan Eng blog (waiting for approval) that RM2 company is not the main point, what do we draft in the tender documents? Do this legal binding?

Somebody comment about MP cross-over, can we control this? And why will they do so? Is they unsatisfied with the principal party? Or they is attract by something "$"?

If our move is right, we can achieve 2/3 or even more soon. Today failure (cause by somebody) not equal to future failure, the mission should be right. How long it take for DAP and other PR member to success get the 1/3.

Those MPs let them go if there are so ...... ..... We have better candidate to fill up the post.

In short, not matter who become the government, if it can benefits the rakyat, I will support not matter what parties, what race, what religion, what so ever!!!

mut said...

Maybe some people here are missing the point. If they want self-serving politicians running the show that is the Penang state government, they would have voted in BN. The fact that we might alienate some PR members should not take precedent over doing things right. I cannot find anything wrong about the retender exercise, and it is Zahrain who will have to explain his actions, not the state government. I am supremely confident that Bayan Baru will not fall to BN; Zahrain will just have to find another party if he so wishes.

Poh Soon said...

To KY and Runaway train..

It is truth that it is quite worrying about the possibility of having 10 MP jump ship and join BN.

However, it is more important to clarify to public on why the current saga happening so that we are informed of what's going on. If pakatan is also compromising on the principle just to keep those MP, what's the point of us voting them in to replace the previous regime in the first place?

Thus, just maintain the principle and let the bad able leave and explain on why he happen. By doing so, Pakatan will benefit in long run.

On top of this, Pakatan need to make sure that it put more effort in filter the bad apple out in candidate selection process for coming election.

Anonymous said...

tony, thank you for telling the truth. you will get my vote.

Anonymous said...

My wish for the PR govts in various states is to stick by what you stand for. I believe that it is all about the country and people and not about power. Meaning that it is more important to operate with integrity and what has been promised rather than to try and keep the 1/3 of Parliament. The people will decide on what they want for the future. Disregard the distractions and stay on the right path to a better Malaysia for all Malaysians.

Patrick said...

Aye, better to have integrity than not have two-thirds majority. Even if it does hurt at the executive.