Tun Ling Liong Sick ARRESTED !!!

[kensington]

Arrest over PKFZ: Ling's family caught by surprise

Aidila Razak
Malaysiakini

The family of former transport minister Dr Ling Liong Sik was just as surprised as the rest of the nation when he was arrested yesterday afternoon and charged with misleading the cabinet over the development of the Port Klang Free Zone.

Speaking to Malaysiakini today, Ling's eldest son Ling Hee Liong said the family had no prior indication of the arrest until police arrived at Ling's house yesterday afternoon.

"The police and the Attorney-General's Chambers were very professional and we thank them for that," he said.

He said Ling, who was a former MCA president, rested well last night and that the family was taking the situation calmly.

"We have a strong tradition of knowing what should and should not be done, and what can and cannot be done in the interest of our tanah air tercinta (beloved homeland).

"Nothing has changed and we have nothing to hide," said Hee Liong, who posted the RM1 million bail yesterday.

As for the family's immediate reaction upon the arrival of police at Ling's house, Hee Liong said he would rather not talk about it. Neither did he want to discuss what happened before Ling was produced in court.

He also declined to comment on the effect that yesterday's events have had on MCA's reputation and the Malaysian political scene, saying that it could affect the trial.

"It will not be beneficial for me to make such statements. Our only statements are our past, present and future actions. We will go through due process like any other rakyat," he said.

Veteran leaders pay visit

According to journalists who were camping outside Ling's house in Damansara, the former MCA boss was seen leaving with his family at about 12 noon and returned an hour later.

He waved to the waiting journalists but refused to entertain any question. In the afternoon, two party veterans visited the house - former Port Klang Authority chairperson Michael Chen and former Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Lim Si Cheng.

Ling is charged under Section 418 of the Penal Code with misleading the cabinet between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002, into agreeing to purchase 999.5 acres of land on Pulau Indah for a project, now known as PKFZ, at a price of RM25psf on a deferred payment basis for a 15-year period, at a 7.5 percent interest rate.

The cumulative interest paid would total RM720 million at the end of the repayment period.

He was also offered an alternative charge, under Section 417 of the Penal Code, for the same offence.

According to the charge sheet, the Finance Ministry had already valued the land at RM25psf - inclusive of compounded interest - and this fact was withheld from the cabinet by the accused.

Ling pleaded not guilty to both charges. The case has been fixed for mention on Sept 3.

He is the most prominent local personality to be arrested in recent years, and is the third former cabinet minister to be charged with corruption.

This is after former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim who was charged in 1999 and former land and cooperative development minister Kasitah Gaddam, in 2004.

 

[kensington]

If the MACC/AG is genuine and sincere in cleaning up the scums in Malaysia, the following scums will be charged next:

1. Chan Kong Choy
2. Chor Chee Heung
3. Ong Ka Ting
4. Liow Tiong Lai
5. Tiong King Sing
6. Kong Cho Ha
7. Wee Ka Siong
8. Gan Ping Seow
9. Ng Yen Yen


And many more....

 

[uncleyap]

If the MACC/AG is genuine and sincere in cleaning up the scums in Malaysia, the following scums will be charged next:

1. Chan Kong Choy
2. Chor Chee Heung
3. Ong Ka Ting
4. Liow Tiong Lai
5. Tiong King Sing
6. Kong Cho Ha
7. Wee Ka Siong
8. Gan Ping Seow
9. Ng Yen Yen


And many more....

Don't just dig into MCA lah!

What about MIC's Smelly Vellu & tons of UMNO bandits?

 

[kensington]

Don't just dig into MCA lah!

What about MIC's Smelly Vellu & tons of UMNO bandits?

Chit geh, chit geh lai.....


-------------------------


Ling part of Najib's first salvo to show Dr M, Umno who's boss...

Wong Choon Mei
Malaysia Chronicle

It looks like things are coming to a head between Prime Minister Najib Razak and former premier Mahathir Mohamad.

Najib is finally starting to flex his muscles – slowly and cautiously. Perhaps, too cautiously. It has given the wily Mahathir room to attack him at a time when he is overseas on personal leave.

Still, Umno watchers say despite the noise and obvious support from Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Mahathir is unlikely to be able to do much.

According to them, the worst that Mahathir can do now is to tear at Najib’s credibility with the non-Malays, while at the same time, strike fear into the hearts of the Malays that their heydays of political power are numbered – especially if the PM’s 1Malaysia slogan is allowed to take off.

“The prime minister’s job carries enormous power. It is very hard to take on an incumbent and win unless his support in Umno itself has almost disappeared – like Badawi’s case. But Najib can still command support from many progressive leaders in the Umno supreme council,” the Umno watcher told Malaysia Chronicle.

“So Dr M can bitch and gripe all he wants, but judging from the way things are moving, Najib still has the upper hand. He sent a very strong message to Dr M when he allowed Ling to be arrested. There will be more coming, not just MCA and MIC people, but also from Umno. But Malaysians who want reform must be patient. If Najib unsettles the power equation in Umno too quickly, it might trigger his own downfall.”

Ling part of the first step

Indeed, Najib has been slammed for 'putting on a show' when he arrested former Transport Minister Ling Liong Sik for cheating the government over land valuations in the Port Klang Free Zone debacle without going after Ling’s boss – Mahathir.

Mahathir had been prime minister, home minister and finance minister at the time when the decision was taken to launch the PKFZ project. Others believed to be involved include MCA leaders Chang Kong Choy, Chor Chee Heung, Ting Chew Peh, Yap Pian Hon, former UMNO treasurer Azim Mohd Zabidi, Bintulu Member of Parliament Tiong King Sing and former Port Klang Authority general manager O C Phang.

But so far, despite unofficial talk of more arrests to come, none have been made – giving Mahathir and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Rakyat more ammunition to fire at Najib.

The man on the street too is confused because the long-serving Ling – like him or not – is an icon in his own way having contributed tremendously to Chinese education, although allegations of corruption have dogged him throughout his 17-year career.

Many Umno watchers believe that the only way for Najib to restore public confidence in his administration and more importantly reclaim his mandate to lead the nation, via his 1Malaysia plan, is to neutralize Mahathir and the ultra-Malay groups that Mahathir patronizes such as Perkasa and MPM.

“I think it no secret at all the Chinese in the PKFZ scandal are the small fry. Even Ling, with all due respect, he was just an order taker. But how does one go after a man the stature of Mahathir without causing an irreversible split in Umno. If Umno is shaken, the rest of nation will also be shaken. This is a fact and the non-Malays must be sensitive and patient,” the Umno watcher said.

“It is very hard to fight off accusations you are betraying your own race, especially hot-head groups like Perkasa and MPM – they politicize and racialise everything you say. Can Najib remain president of Umno if he is seen to be anti-Malay? Does it make sense? To nit-pick and argue at this point in time is wasteful.”

The big picture

According to the Umno source, if Najib were to openly challenge Mahathir and Perkasa, too much effort would be spent on unnecessary racial and political bickering and the economy would plunge to zero.

The better way out was to get the big picture right and then gradually fill in the new power equation. And getting the big picture right meant the first order of the day for Najib must be to reclaim his power. And finally get his 1Malaysia off the ground.

Right now, Najib is unable to move because of Mahathir, who after 22 years of ruling with a fist of iron, does not like the system of governance he set up to be changed. Also, his legacy of vested interests and his bevy of cronies needs to be protected, hence the enormous resistance to let go and let Najib rule as he sees fit.

“This is what the PKFZ is about – to show Mahathir who’s the boss at Umno and to tell Malaysians that he will keep his promises to reform and unify the races. But first of all, he has got to solve this huge problem called Dr M and his legacy from the past,” the watcher said.

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/2010/08/blog-post_4818.html

 

[kensington]

Dr M returns fire at Najib, willing to testify at Ling's trial


Wong Choon Mei
Malaysia Chronicle

Although the pressure on him must be great, feisty octagenarian Mahathir Mohamad has come out swinging in his first serious face-off with Prime Minister Najib Razak, saying he would be willing to testify if called as a witness to the trial claimed by his former transport minister Ling Liong Sik.

Such a statement must have been galling for the man who ruled Malaysia from 1981 to 2003 and was responsible for much of its infrastructure development. Nevertheless, despite his enormous contribution to the nation, Mahathir has often been accused of massive corruption and cronyism.

Speculation is now rife of major tremors due to take place at Umno, the party that he and Najib belong to. Some Umno watchers believe Ling’s arrest is the first move made by Najib to curb Mahathir’s growing interference in his government.

“It is required to testify in court, a person must do it. He cannot say that I don’t want. Everyone that has to testify in court has to do so,” Mahathir told reporters on Tuesday.

Time for Mahathir to let go

Ling, who was part of Mahathir’s administration for 17 years, was arrested last week for misleading the Cabinet over land valuations in the Port Klang Free Zone project.

The former MCA president has previously told the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee that he did keep the Cabinet apprised of two differing sets of valuations, and that it was Mahathir who made the final decision.

Ling’s version of what happened has also been backed by the former secretary-general of the Transport Ministry, Zaharah Shaari.

“I don’t know if he misled me or not because I do not know if he is guilty or not. At this moment, he is only being charged. Whether he is guilty or not, it is for the court to determine,” Mahathir said, when asked whether Ling had misled the Cabinet.

Nonetheless, pundits expect Ling to easily extricate himself from the charges as his role in the PKFZ project was not large. According to the pundits, his arrest was meant to create a shock effect and to tell Mahathir that the time had come to let Najib govern the country as he sees fit.

Indeed, already at the halfway mark to the next general election, many of Najib's supporters worry that he may have left it a little too late. They also point to the sliding economy.

Attacking 1Malaysia, scare-mongering the Malays

Meanwhile, Mahathir has returned fire by attacking Najib’s prized 1Malaysia plan that aims to better integrate the different ethnic groups. To non-Malays, the plan looks wish-washy and ineffective because of his inability to push through changes such as the New Economic Model, but Najib's supporters say that is due to Mahathir's interference.

Since the start of this year, ultra-Malay rights groups that Mahathir patronizes such as Perkasa and MPM have been warning 1Malaysia's implementation would be a serious threat to the political power held by the Malays.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has also shown his hand, clearly siding with Mahathir. Earlier today, he joined in the attack, saying that 1Malaysia had failed because few Malaysians understood it.

Although Mahathir and Muhyiddin have taken care to mask their dissatisfaction under the guise of Malay rights, pundits believe Mahathir is unhappy because of several outstanding mega-projects from the past such as the S-sharped bridge to Singapore and the sports-betting license to tycoon Vincent Tan. Both projects recently failed to get the green light from Najib.

“There is however a tendency that the understanding is influenced by certain groups. Even though it has been explained by the prime minister that 1 Malaysia is based on the country’s constitution. Whatever the interpretation, it should not run far from the spirit of the constitution such as Bumiputera rights, Bahasa Malaysia, culture, religion and royalty,” Muhyiddin told reporters on Tuesday.

“Since 1 Malaysia is dynamic and not static then certainly there will be certain groups that will try to interpret it according to their own interest. So steps must be taken by the government is to give explanation and programs to allow the public to better understand what is 1 Malaysia.”

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/2010/08/blog-post_8139.html

 

[kensington]

Are the corrupt nervous yet?

By Jema Khan

The charging of Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik in court on Thursday must have sent shockwaves throughout the country. He is the first Tun to have ever been charged in Malaysia’s history. He is, at the same time, a prominent member of the establishment who is well liked.

It is unfortunate that Tun Ling’s reputation is now damaged, regardless of the outcome of the trial, but the message from the establishment is clear: No one is above the law.

The second message is that major events like this can happen even when the prime minister is out of town. I suspect that the PM, even if he knew about Tun Ling’s imminent charge, would prefer that the law takes its course and would want justice to be seen to be done without his interference.

As this involves a former Cabinet colleague, the PM must be in two minds: That of loyalty to a friend and the duty that his office demands. I am sure he will be pondering this on his vacation.

Others who are involved in corruption must also be extremely nervous because if Tun Ling can be charged, no one can believe they are immune from the same fate.

In the spirit of 1 Malaysia maybe they too may have to fill the quota of those being charged. Malay, Chinese, Indian, a native of Sabah or Sarawak; who is next, I wonder?

The guilty ones will also be wondering the same and quivering in fear, no doubt. Perhaps the next time the PM decides to take a holiday, you may see a mass exodus of those with guilty consciences, who will also leave the country at the same time.

Even Pakatan Rakyat’s (PR) Tony Pua, who sits on Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, must have been surprised with Tun Ling being charged. I am sure even he felt that Tun Ling was to some extent immune from this and did not press the issue in the PKFZ inquiry.

He went for some lesser mortals where he thought he was more likely to succeed. In a sense, the action taken by the authorities, shows that there are no more sacred cows in the war against corruption.

There are those who say that this is all a charade and that there are many more who should be brought to book. That is a valid point but if we start seeing a few more “whales” of Tun Ling’s stature being charged (especially if they come from Umno and the other Barisan Nasional component parties), many will start to believe that there is a sincere attempt to clean up this time.

Even MACC chief Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed is making the right kind of statements in asking the Cabinet to declare their assets publicly.

PR, too, is taking corruption seriously with DAP sacking its Klang municipal councillor Tee Boon Hock over allegations of corruption.

Both the BN and Pakatan know that corruption will be a major issue in the general election due in the next few years. However, as BN is the government, the people will be looking more towards the current administration’s success in battling corruption.

If the administration’s efforts are half-hearted, it may do more harm than good in the political sense, as I am sure there will be an internal backlash against the PM from within the BN.

This is an all-or-nothing fight — the PM is very much riding the proverbial tiger. He either wins the fight against corruption or it will be the issue that brings him down.

Although the current public sentiment is to see high-profile figures in handcuffs and marched off to prison, we must not forget that we live by the rule of law. A person is innocent until proven guilty. This rule does not only apply to the common man but the elite, too.

Tun Ling is no less innocent than any other person being charged in court. It is up to the prosecution to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. If they fail then they should be taken to task as would be the case in any other country where it involves such a high profile personality.

A serious clean-up will certainly cut across the races. The PM may not have envisaged such prosecutions in his 1 Malaysia vision, but if the clean-up is to be taken seriously, that is exactly what needs to happen. There are no NEP type considerations here. If there is enough evidence of corruption on anyone, regardless of race or religion, they should be charged.

Knowing that the politicians and the civil service now have to bow to the public on corruption, my question to those involved in corruption is this: Are you scared now?


http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/guest-columnists/33527-are-the-corrupt-nervous-yet
Datuk Jema Khan is a former Sabah Umno Youth leader. He is now a businessman pushing the Agenda Liberal Melayu in Facebook .

 

[kensington]

A crook still smells like a crook no matter what accolades you want to pay him.

By Stanley Koh

COMMENT The move to charge Dr Ling Liong Sik caught many of us completely by surprise, not because we think the former MCA president is too clean to be associated with corruption, but because we still believe that the police, the Attorney-General and the judiciary are all in Barisan Nasional’s pocket and would not act against a figure so intimately connected to the ruling coalition and so prominent in its history.

A pundit has described Ling’s prosecution in connection with the PKFZ scandal as the bursting of a bubble in a whirlpool of speculation involving high-profile politicians.

Certainly, the PKFZ corruption scandal will be in the public focus again, and it is likely to overshadow all other political bickering in the weeks to come, particularly when Ling’s case is mentioned in August.

Few will deny that the case will cast a long dark shadow over MCA, which is desperately trying to woo back the public support it has so badly lost in recent years.

There is even speculation that another important figure in MCA—a former cabinet minister—will be charged along with Ling.

Another former minister and MCA official who served under Ling expressed astonishment over the latest turn of events.

Choosing his words carefully as he spoke to FMT, he said the singling out of Ling was shocking because he could not have been alone in making decisions about PKFZ.

“Some party members knowledgeable about top government decision-making practice are sceptical because whatever decision made was collective, assisted by experts who act as advisers,” he said without elaborating.

Of course, views expressed within MCA are in great contrast to those in the public domain, where the call for truth, transparency and justice is getting louder by the day. Most of the public want to hear the bone crunch of dog devouring dog.

Jinxed leadership

The more superstitious among MCA watchers have become more convinced that the party’s leadership is jinxed. They see in Ling’s predicament a repeat of what happened to then-president Tan Koon Swan in 1986, when he was charged and imprisoned for criminal breach of trust over the Pan El saga.

Ling was a young physician when he got into active politics. He won the Mata Kuching parliamentary seat in 1974 and rose to replace Tan on the MCA throne 12 years later.

Some interpret the downfall of Tan and Ling as parallel defining moments that have more meaning than expressed in the cliché that history repeats itself.

“Even till today, many within the party still believe that the prosecution and imprisonment of former president Tan was politically motivated,” a Selangor leader said.

Could this be another case of political intrigue and a parable of extreme ruthlessness at play? This is what many party members are wondering, sometimes aloud, for hardly a week goes by nowadays when someone in MCA does not speak up against an unpopular political move attributed to either Umno or one of its perceived proxies.

Indeed, MCA, in trying to regain support, has lately been critical of more than the opposition. Some say the leadership has finally admitted that times have changed, with the electorate become wiser, and the party has begun listening closely to the ground.

The move against Ling, they say, could be designed to derail the party’s effort at rebuilding its image.

Many believe that the current MCA president, Dr Chua Soi Lek, is a close ally of Ling and that Ling, despite his retirement, has been dispensing advice to the leadership whenever his views are sought.

But it is early days yet, and we should not take our own speculations too seriously. Perhaps, in the ensuing days, it will become clearer why BN wants Ling to take a fall over the PKFZ scandal which, more than many other misdeeds, has deepened public contempt for the government.

Perhaps, the government will even explain its sudden move.

No stranger to trouble

Meanwhile, Ling and his family are quite alone in facing this terrible challenge. But Ling is no stranger to trouble. He faced many challenges during his 17-year political career, including being sacked from his party in 1984, although the membership was reinstated a year later.

He also faced two major efforts to topple him from the presidency. He was involved in colourful Mexican stand-offs with his deputies, Lee Kim Sai in the late 80s, and Lim Ah Lek in the 1990s.

“Dr Ling has a straightforward, patriotic honesty which has distinguished him from several of his past and current brothers-in-politics,” wrote a newspaper columnist in 2000.

In fact, Ling does have an impressive legacy of achievements at party leader. For example, he saved Wisma MCA amid serious financial woes and resolved the cooperative crisis soon after Tan Koon Swan’s premature retirement.

Between 1987 and 1988, Ling fought relentlessly to help about half a million depositors—most of whom were MCA members—get their ringgit-to-ringgit refunds following the collapse of 24 deposit-taking cooperatives, including MCA’s KSM.

He also initiated many fund-raising campaigns, including the invention of the MCA Life Membership roll, which survives to this day.

While his supporters praise him for putting sectarian or communal interest aside and concentrating on nation-building programmes, his adversaries accuse him of having been too deeply and too overtly loyal to his boss, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

But many have forgotten that in 1988, Ling took a six-week no-pay leave from his duties as transport minister to protest against the BN’s broken promises to his party over a proposed amendment of the Education Act, the establishment of Tunku Abdul Rahman College, the quit rent for Bukit Cina, the lopsided civil service, financial allocations to new villages, quotas in university intakes, aid to Chinese schools and several other issues.

“I am taking leave of absence from my position as a cabinet minister to reflect on the party’s position in the BN and to think about the post-1990 shaping of the country and the changing role cum responsibilities of the MCA to meet the new challenges,” Ling said in a press statement on Oct 1, 1988.

A string of achievements

Soon after he became party president in 1986, he told an interviewer: “I want to see Malaysia become a fair and just country for all. All issues will be viewed from this angle because the vast majority of people will reject Malaysia becoming a Malay, Chinese or Indian country.

“Every fibre in me is moderate in nature. There will be no extremism in party policies. We (MCA leadership) will strive to inject moderation into government policies. Our sole objective is to make Malaysia a fair and just society for all.”

After serving MCA for 17 years, Ling finally had to step down in May 23, 2003, under a cloud of controversy involving business dealings, compounded by a protracted tiff with his deputy Lim Ah Lek.

Deputy Lim also stepped down under a peace formula embraced mutually by factional leaders as a way to resolving the leadership feud, which top Umno leaders, acting as peacekeepers, closely monitored.

Ling led the MCA party through thick and thin during his long tenure, including the general elections of 1986, 1990, 1995 and 1999.

Perhaps he made his greatest achievement in 2001, when the Education Ministry gave him and his team the green light to establish University Tunku Abdul Rahman, named after the first Malaysian prime minister.

He has also recorded a string of other achievements on education, including the setting up of more than 100 resource centres under the umbrella of the Langkawi Project to promote educational excellence among poor children.

Developing education became his forte as early as in 1994, when he launched a massive fund-raising campaign to help the 60 independent Chinese secondary schools.

Despite all his merits, however, Ling made several big blunders in his career.

For example, his role in the dismantling of MCA’s assets, which Tan Koon Swan had painstakingly built up in the 1980s under Multi-Purpose Holdings, earned him many unforgiving enemies.

The Nanyang sale

Perhaps his greatest failed political gamble was his push in 2001 to purchase the Nanyang Siang Pau group of companies, which even today is being cursed by Malaysians yearning for press freedom.

Even in the last days of his political career, he continued to make controversial misjudgements, particularly on the leadership succession in MCA.

Many resented the favouritism he showed towards Ong Ka Ting, deliberately bypassing the democratic process to make him his successor. His critics must have felt some satisfaction when MCA, under Ong’s leadership, suffered a great setback in the 2008 general election.

Those who prefer to keep fond memories of Ling’s style of leadership will cherish the way a writer has summed up his character:

“After all, Dr Ling has proved he is a leader with a difference, some difference. (yeah right ! A bigger pocket)

“His strongest point is that he is a balanced person. His background, temperament and attitude are conducive to breaking down racial barriers.”

And as he faces prosecution in court, it is well for Ling himself to remember the words that , according to him, summed up his philosophy: “Today is always better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today.”

Stanley Koh is the former head of research at MCA.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fm.../8618-lings-woes-a-tremendous-setback-for-mca

 

[SotongMee]

Yes Sir, "MALAYSIA BOred-LEH"

Can add the ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....Caption to your picture.
Some looked like they in deep meditation, contemplating the problems of Malaysia.

MALAYSIA BOLEH !

 

[kensington]

After Ling, GAS wants Samy hauled to court

By Patrick Lee

SHAH ALAM: When former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik was hauled to court recently, it sent a chill down many a powerful spine. Suddenly, the notion that some were above the law had been shattered.

Certain quarters saw it as an election gimmick, crafted to exhibit the government's seriouness in dealing with corruption without fear or favour.

Inspired by this, several former MIC leaders now want the party's long-term president S Samy Vellu to face the music for his alleged misdeeds as well.

Failing which, they warned: "If Samy Vellu is not brought to justice, then the federal government will have to pay the price... Pakatan Rakyat will win the next election."

With this in mind, the Gerakan Anti-Samy Vellu (GAS) movement leaders knocked on the door of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) state headquarters here this morning.

V Mugilan, KP Samy and G Kumar Amman, with some 50 supporters in tow, came armed with evidence of Samy Vellu's alleged abuses with regard to MIC's education arm, the Maju Institute of Education Development (MIED) funds.

Among them, the purchase of a Rolex watch worth RM22,700 and a gold chain as well as bracelet worth RM50,000.

Mugilan, the former MIC Youth deputy chief, was axed by Samy Vellu when he had called on the 74-year-old president of three decades to quit with immediate effect. KP Samy and Kumar, both former central working committee members, were given the boot for backing the call.

'Is Samy Vellu so powerful?'

Speaking to reporters after filing the report, KP Samy said: "Ling was charged because he caused losses to the government. Likewise, Samy Vellu brought losses to the Indian community."

"This is the first time we have come to MACC as the commission represents a new hope for us," he added.

Meanwhile, Mugilan expressed disappointment with the lack of action by enforcement agencies against the MIC boss in the past despite a litany of reports having been filed over the years.

"Is Samy Vellu so strong that the government cannot take any action (against him)?" he asked. "If Ling can be charged, why not Samy Vellu? Big guns can be charged... Samy Vellu is nothing."

The GAS leaders also promised to submit more evidence regarding Samy Vellu in the coming weeks.

Among the accusations made in today's report were that the MIC president had made rampant withdrawals from MIED accounts, and awarded contracts at inflated costs to many of his associates.

Mugilan also alleged that Samy Vellu had embezzled “huge amounts” of money from MIED, in his capacity as chairman, for his own interests.

According to the report, these allegations were made by former MIED CEO P Chithirakala Vasu in the Kuala Lumpur High Court last year.

'RM31 million for landscape contract'

As for the contracts, the report claimed that Samy Vellu had awarded the landscape contract for MIC's Aimst University to a company called Nova Blooms for a whopping RM27 million.

“The principal owner of Nova Blooms G Komathy is the classmate of one Rosaline from Ipoh who is a close associate of Samy Vellu. The initial contract was for RM27 million but on the insistence of Samy Vellu, a total of RM31 million was paid to Nova Blossoms till November 2008,” it said.

However, the report claimed that MIED had to fork out an additional RM2.2 million to complete the unfinished job by Nova Blooms using a third party contractor.

Apart from this, the report also alleged that the landscape maintenance work for Aimst University was awarded to Classic Sparkle Sdn Bhd.

“Roseline of Ipoh had signed as the managing director of Classic Sparkle in all coresspondence to MIED. To the best of our knowledge, Classic Sparkle is owned by Roseline. Her bodyguard by the name of R Kanappah is holding the shares in Classic Sparkle in trust for Roseline,” it said.

The report stated that the maintenance contract was first awarded to IT Sisma International Sdn Bhd for a sum of RM18,800 per month or RM225,600 per year.

“On the instructions of Samy Vellu, the contract with IT Sisma was prematurely terminated and the same contract was awarded to Classic Sparkle at RM50,000 per month. Subsequently, this was increased to RM56,300 per month,” it added.

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/fm...838-after-ling-gas-wants-samy-hauled-to-court

 

[kensington]

Ling says "no feeling" about Sultan freezing his Datuk title


Malaysia Chronicle

Former MCA president Ling Liong Sik said he was unperturbed by the Selangor Sultan’s decision to suspend his Datuk title pending the outcome of cheating charges pressed against him by the government.

“That is his Datuk title, so he can give and take back anytime he wants. I respect that. I have no feeling. It is his right, so no feeling,” the former Transport minister told reporters outside the session court in Putrajaya.

Indeed, Ling is the second prominent MCA leader to have his title frozen in the past three months. The Johor Sultan had asked former MCA vice president Chua Jui Meng to return two Datuk titles in June.

Both the Selangor and Johor moves are widely perceived as being politically motivated. The unseen hand is believed to be Umno and speculation is rife it is trying to intimidate Ling ahead of a trial that could prove highly embarrassing to the federal government.

As for Jui Meng, he joined PKR last year and is helping the Pakatan mount a stiff challenge against the BN in his home state of Johore.

"The Ruler took into consideration that the charges involve serious offenses that affect the interests of the people and the country. The palace will review their use of the title once they are cleared of criminal wrongdoing,," a statement from the Selangor state secretary said earlier this week.

S'gor Sultan, Phang and Ling

Unusual
The Selangor Sultan also suspended the use of the Datuk title from O.C. Phang, the former general mamager of PKA, the overseer of the white-elephant Port Klang Free Zone project.

The royal decision is rare and seen as unusual since neither Ling or Phang have been convicted yet. Both have pleaded not guilty to the corruption charges pressed against them.

Ling was arrested on July 30 and charged under Section 418 of the Penal Code for misleading the Cabinet between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002, into agreeing to buy 999.5 acres of land on Pulau Indah for the PKFZ project at a price of RM25psf on a deferred payment method for a 15-year period, at a 7.5 interest rate.

According to the charge sheets, Ling did not tell the Cabinet the Finance Ministry had already valued the land at RM25psf inclusive of compounded interest, which would have saved the government a whopping RM720 million.

The charge carries a maximum seven years’ jail or a fine, or both, upon conviction. Ling also faces an alternative charge, under Section 417, of cheating the government by misleading the Cabinet on the land acquisition for the same project. Under the alternative charge, he is liable to a jail term of up to five years or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

 

[kensington]

Liong Sik- PKFZ: A huge gamble for Najib, all trails lead to Dr M


Wong Choon Mei
Malaysia Chronicle

There is no getting away from it. However you look at the Port Klang Free Zone debacle, all trails go back to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who was also the finance minister.

A day after his shock arrest, the charges preferred against Ling Liong Sik, the former Transport Minister who had helped push through the huge project, seem to be deliberately crafted so that his lawyers can have them overturned with ease.

The 67-year old was charged under Section 418 of the Penal Code for misleading the Cabinet between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002, into agreeing to buy 999.5 acres of land on Pulau Indah at a price of RM25psf on a deferred payment method for a 15-year period, at a 7.5 percent interest rate.

The charge sheet went on to say the Finance Ministry had already valued the land at RM25psf - inclusive of compounded interest - and this fact was withheld from the Cabinet by the accused. The difference comes up RM720 million. Ling was therefore charged for cheating.

The PAC factor

Yet at last year’s high-profile inquiry conducted by the Public Accounts Committee, former secretary-general of the Transport Ministry Zaharah Shaari went on record to say that the land acquisition was done with the full knowledge of the Cabinet.

How can this be? Firstly, the PAC study showed the government would have spent RM442.13 million and saved RM645.87 million if the land for PKFZ was acquired in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act 1960.

Secondly, according to Zaharah, Ling knew about this and agreed with the Treasury secretary-general to buy the land in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act 1960.

Thirdly, the matter was then referred back to the Cabinet and Ling briefed Mahathir about it. Mahathir, who ruled Malaysia with a fist of iron for 22 years, has kept a conspicuous silence on Ling's arrest.So too has his successor, Abdullah Badawi who continued the project after Mahathir resigned in 2003.

“The Cabinet then decided to acquire the land but when the central agency did not agree and gave its views, the Cabinet, if I am not mistaken, told the ministry to delay its decision to buy the land directly from Kuala Dimensi until a different decision was made," was Zaharah's testimony in the PAC verbatim report.

“I think after that the Cabinet agreed to its original decision to buy the land. I think based on that final decision, the ministry went ahead to allow PKA to purchase the land on that decision."

Ultimately, Ling's case will hinge on who is telling the truth and already, Zaharah's testimony casts enough reasonable doubt to have the case thrown out.

“Our job in Ministry of Transport is to only state the fact that we want the land. Costings, valuations and all that, it is not the function of the Ministry of Transport. We do not have a Valuation Department," was Ling's own testimony to PAC.

“Costings and valuations is a question for the Treasury to deal with. They have the Valuation Department and everything is there, not in Ministry of Transport. I think [it was] Tun Dr Mahathir who chaired it, and he was the finance minister also. He saw it very clearly. That was the fact of the case.”

The Untouchables

But does that mean Ling was totally uninvolved in any PKFZ impropriety?

Does it also mean that if Ling passes the buck back to Mahathir, the Najib administration will seize on the opportunity to turn on the former premier. Highly unlikely. In fact, more likely than not, they will say there is not enough evidence.

Then what is this whole episode about? Why did the Najib administration go after Ling then? Why entangle themselves in such a dubious mess? What is the benefit to them? Already, the Pakatan Rakyat leaders are smelling blood and the public has begun blasting Najib for putting on another ‘show’.

Yet according to an Umno watcher, Ling is just the start of an aggressive move to weed out corruption. It marks a new beginning and also the ending of a 5-decades old culture of corruption, he added.

“It is the same question over and over. Where do we draw the line? Does it make you feel good to see Ling, who is 67, and Mahathir, who is 85, go to jail? Rafidah is already 71, Chan Kong Choy has a chronic illness. What do we do?” the Umno watcher asked Malaysia Chronicle.

“If we don’t do anything, Pakatan kills us at the ballot boxes. We are also sending the wrong message to our own people at a time when we really need to break this culture of corruption. The top leaders have agreed - once there is enough evidence, the MACC will act. Even the AG will not be spared if there is proof."

Reduce discretionary powers, pass better laws

But who will watch over the top guns? Apparently, they have also agreed to stop and no one will be exempt anymore, or so the Umno watcher said.

But surely, there are better solutions, solutions that are less arbitrary, less subjective and less dependent on the whim of one man and his advisers.

If Najib wants Malaysians to buy into his anti-corruption blitz, then firstly, he must voluntarily reduce his own discretionary powers and let the letter of the law play the dominant role.

Secondly, whether or not the people will still pay any attention to him will hinge on who he next arrests.

If he wants to spare people like Mahathir, Badawi, and Rafidah, then he had better make sure he compensates by really hunting down all the other Umno leaders who have been indulging. Not just those in MCA or other BN components, and not just Pakatan leaders either. In Malaysia's power equation, these are just small fry who can be easily bullied.

The clock is ticking down on Najib. If this turns out to be another charade, then he would really be slamming the door on himself.

 

[kensington]

PKFZ: The next 'big fish' after Hari Raya and to come from Umno

Malaysia Chronicle

Speculation has intensified that after Hari Raya the next ‘big fish’ will be hauled up for RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone financial debacle, and this time it is learnt it will be someone senior from Umno.

Former Transport minister Ling Liong Sik was the first prominent political leader to have been arrested over PKFZ. Charges were pressed against him on July 30 for misleading the Cabinet on the project's land valuations. He has pleaded not guilty.

In the days that followed Ling's arrest, there were high expectations that Prime Minister Najib Razak would follow through with a long overdue promise to weed out corruption. But more than a month has passed and no one other than Ling has been brought in.

Ling Liong Sik's arrest shocked the nation
As a result, Najib’s already thinning credibility took further blows. He was accused of making decisions to manipulate the political situation at both Umno and BN to his advantage, rather than attempting to solve the endemic corruption in the country.

The Chinese community also saw in Ling’s arrest a stepping stone for Najib to placate the Umno grassroots while he went after several key leaders in the party that he regarded as obstacles to his career.

But Umno watchers deny the allegations and said the PM had to bide his time because the investigators were not ready.

“He may also have pulled back because he felt the timing was not to his advantage. He is extremely cautious but after Hari Raya, he will make his next move. It will be someone very senior in Umno even though he may not be so active in the party anymore. There will be a few others but it may not be all in one go,” a reliable source told Malaysia Chronicle.

Chan Kong Choy


Mat Tyson or Chan or Tiong

Names that have been bandied around include former Selangor mentri besar Muhammad Muhammad Taib, another former Transport minister Chan Kong Choy and Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing, whose firm Kuala Dimensi was the turnkey contractor which racked up the project's massive cost overruns.

Muhd Taib aka Mat Tyson

PKFZ is an ambitious integrated port development mooted during the Mahathir Mohamad administration. It took off in the early 2000s and Abdullah Badawi continued the project after Mahathir retired in 2003.

The scandal has been described as a true Malaysian power play of conflict of interests, weak project management and bad governance at the highest levels - all the way up to Mahathir and Badawi.

Tiong King Sing

Among the personalities named in an external auditor's report are two former transport ministers Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik (1986-2003) and Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy (2003-March 2008), former Minister of Housing and Local Government Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh, who was also Port Klang Authority chairman (2000-2004), former Serdang Member of Parliament Datuk Yap Pian Hon who was Port Klang Aurhority chairman (2004-2007), Alor Setar Member of Parliament Datuk Wira Chor Chee Heung, who was Port Klang Authority chairman (2007-2008), former UMNO treasurer Datuk Seri Azim Mohd Zabidi, the first woman general manager of Port Klang Authority Datin Paduka O.C.Phang and the project "executor" Bintulu Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.

 

[kensington]

PKA fiasco sparks calls for closer look at MCA under Soi Lek


Wong Choon Mei
Malaysia Chronicle

The transparency of MCA’s new leadership has been called into question by the actions of Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha, who a day ago compelled government agency Port Klang Authority to pay RM222.58 million to bondholders, even though the risk was high that taxpayers might never see their money again.

“This smacks of bad faith and not in line with all promises that the new leadership under Chua Soi Lek has made to resist corruption and work towards a cleaner Malaysia,” PKR strategic director Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

“The question is whether Kong is working for the interest of the Ling Liong Sik clique, or is it that Umno has a hidden role and the instruction actually came all the way from Prime Minister Najib Razak. If that is the case, then we know why Tee Keat was removed.”

Back to square one

Tian was referring to Ong Tee Keat, the former MCA president, who was removed as Transport Minister after he lost the party's No. 1 post to Chua in special internal polls held earlier this year.

Never known for its transparency, MCA is now seen as backtracking into its dark era, where previous presidents were perceived to be totally under Umno’s thumb and interested only in amassing personal wealth and power. That impression - whether true or not - finally killed off the party’s popularity and it suffered its worst electoral performance in 2008.

Even this morning, PKA – the overseer of the failed RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone project – had to call off its board meeting following Kong’s order to make payment on the bond. PKA directors had hoped to discuss whether or not they should pay Free Zone Capital, one of 4 special vehicles created to raise the RM4.6 billion debt for Kuala Dimensi in 2007.

PKA blames Kuala Dimensi for the PKFZ’s massive cost overruns that external auditors have warned could have been due to corruption. It is suing Kuala Dimensi for RM1.4 billion. Even Transparency International Malaysia president Paul Low has suggested that an escrow account be set up to hold the funds pending the outcome of ongoing litigation. Otherwise, PKA might not get its money back even if it wins its suits.

But Kuala Dimensi is controlled by influential Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing, whom many in the political circles regard as a “money bag” for the Umno elite.

“It looks like there is an agenda to let the culprits off the hook. The new Transport Minister has refused to continue investigations. This is dangerous because it will facilitate cover ups and I believe we can expect more bail-outs to come soon,” Tian said.

Former Transport Minister surprised at the move

Even Tee Keat has questioned why his colleagues made such a controversial decision. He threw cold water on the government’s argument that failure to pay bondholders would lead to adverse effects on the local bond market.

Tee Keat has in the past often blamed hidden hands for his downfall and even hinted he could be stripped of his Transport Minister’s post if he persisted with investigations into the PKFZ debacle.

The PKFZ is the Malaysian government's biggest port investment. It is also the biggest flop in a long list of failed or ailing government-projects that have been slammed by anti-corruption activists through the years. It began in the early 2000s at an original budget of RM1.8 billion, but has ballooned multiple folds due to glaring mismanagement and alleged graft.

“The payment that was due on June 30 last year; when it was deferred, we saw no crash. But, of course, ultimately after several days the PKA board was told to pay,” Malaysian Insider reported Tee Keat as revealing.

Calls for a closer look at the new MCA president

Past Transport Ministers Ling Liong Sik, also a former MCA president, and Chan Kong Chong, a former deputy MCA president, have been implicated in the project’s failure.

On the Umno side, several third-tiered leaders have been mentioned but many also blame former premier Mahathir Mohamad, his predecessor Abdullah Badawi and Badawi’s son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin.

The irony is that Soi Lek, the scandal-plagued former Health Minister who took over from Tee Keat, had days ago berated a DAP councilor for allegedly using his boss's letterheads to get contracts amounting to more than RM1 million for his cronies.

Soi Lek insisted that Pakatan took immediate action to protect the people’s interest.

“This shows the hypocrisy in the BN. Soi Lek might think he can deflect attention from PKFZ by zooming in on the letterheads case. But not only is that case a sesame seed by comparison, I really question his intelligence, given his stature as a former minister,” PKR vice president Sivarasa Rasiah told Malaysia Chronicle.

“We would advise that he focuses his attention on the PKFZ and put taxpayers first rather than other people's letterheads. Especially since DAP and the Selangor state government had already announced investigations were ongoing. How can he not know that the audit procedure has to complete before any announcements can be made out of fairness to the accused?”

 

[kensington]

S'gor palace suspends titles of Ling and Phang

PETALING JAYA: The Selangor palace today suspended state titles awarded to former MCA president Dr Ling Liong Sik and Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager OC Phang pending the outcome of the investigation into the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

In a statement issued by the state secretary today, the decision was made after consultations with the state royal council on Aug 19, and considering that they have been charged with “serious offences that involve the interests of the people and country”.

However, added the statement, the suspension of the awards, which carries the title “datuk” and “datin paduka” respectively will be lifted if both are found not guilty and acquitted of the charge.



Jail term

Ling, the former transport minister, was charged under Section 418 for allegedly “misleading the Cabinet between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002 into agreeing to purchase 999.5 acres of land on Pulau Indah for a project that is now known as PKFZ, at a price of RM25 psf on a deferred payment for a 15-year period, at an interest rate of 7.5%.

The cumulative interest paid would total RM720 million at the end of the repayment period.

Ling had pleaded not guilty to two charges under Sections 417 and 418 of the Penal Code for cheating. If found guilty, Ling could face a jail term.

Meanwhile, Phang and three others were charged late last year with criminal breach of trust by making false claims. She pleaded not guilty.

Ling was conferred the “Datuk Paduka Mahkota” in 1992 while Phang was accorded the “Datin Paduka” title in 2001.

 

[kensington]

Trial of PKFZ's Phang postponed to Oct 26

OC Phang and new best friend...

SHAH ALAM: The Sessions Court has postponed to October the trial of former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager OC Phang, which was to have started today.

Judge Asmadi Hussain set four days from Oct 26 after the defence informed the court of the fresh representation it has made for all the three charges of criminal breach of trust involving RM254.85 million against Phang, 63, to be dropped.

Phang's counsel, Francis Ng Aik Guan, told the court new developments in connection with the case required the hearing to be postponed to give time for the prosecution to determine whether to accept the representation or otherwise.

Ng also told the court that the defence had made representations previously but there had been no response so far.

"Furthermore, the prosecution handed over 246 documents only yesterday, and the defence needs time to study them because most of them are technical in nature," Ng said.

Phang is charged, as general manager entrusted with funds in an account with RHB Bank Bhd, with committing criminal breach of trust of RM98,700,000 at the Port Klang Authority in Jalan Pelabuhan Utara, Port Klang, between Oct 1, 2004 and Sept 5, 2005.

She is also charged with committing two other similar offences involving RM21,600,000 and RM134,550,000 at the same place between Sept 30, 2005 and May 9, 2006 and between June 1, 2005 and Jan 13, 2006, respectively.

She is charged under Section 409 of the Penal Code which provides for a maximum 20-year jail sentence and a fine, upon conviction.

Phang's trial was to have begun today and continued tomorrow.

Deputy public prosecutor Manoj Kurup told the court the prosecution did not object to the application for postponement by the defence.

The judge reminded both sides not to postpone the trial again, saying it had been postponed several times.

 

[kensington]

Ling wants PKFZ Cabinet papers declassified


PUTRAJAYA: Former transport minister Dr Ling Liong Sik wants Cabinet papers on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal to be declassified and his cheating trial moved to Kuala Lumpur from here.

The former MCA president made these applications through his lawyers when his case was mentioned this morning. The matter will be mentioned again on Nov 30.

He was charged on July 30 with concealing the fact that the finance ministry’s valuation and property service department had valued the land for the troubled port project at RM25 psf for a repayment period of 10 years, or RM25.82 psf for a repayment period of 15 years, including interest chargeable for the repayment period.

The former minister was charged at the Putrajaya Sessions Court under Section 418 of the Penal Code with “cheating with knowledge that wrongful loss may be caused to a person whose interest the offender is bound to protect”.

The alleged offence was committed at the fourth floor of the Prime Minister’s Office in Putrajaya between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002. The charge carries a maximum seven years’ jail or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

Ling also faces an alternative charge, under Section 417, of cheating the government by misleading the Cabinet on the land acquisition for the same project, at the same place and time.

Under the alternative charge, he is liable to a jail term of up to five years or a fine, or both, upon conviction.

Cabinet papers vital

Wong Kian Kheong, one of Ling’s lawyers, told the court today that the Cabinet documents are essential for the defence to answer the charge.

Among the documents sought were minutes of Cabinet meetings, Cabinet committee meetings and post-Cabinet papers which fell under the the Official Secrets Act (1972).

He said the defence also wanted to interview the witnesses in the case in the presence of the investigating officer.

Wong further requested for an early mention date for the case, taking into account Ling's status as former minister and long serving public servant .

This was however rebutted by deputy public prosecutor Dzulkifli Ahmad who argued that it would be impossible to have an early mention date because the prosecution needed time to act on the applications made by the defence in court today.

He said the prosecution will only declassify the confidential documents if they were only used in court.

Dzulkifli also confirmed that the prosecution had received the defence’s application to transfer the case to Kuala Lumpur High Court on Wednesday.

 

[kensington]

Dr Ling says guilty if Dr M says so


By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

Dr Ling (centre) leaves the court after today’s hearing.
— Picture by Jack Ooi


Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik declared today that he will be guilty of cheating in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal if his former boss Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad says so.

Dr Ling, the former transport minister in Dr Mahathir’s Cabinet, said today he was thankful to the former PM for his “generous” offer to testify in his PKFZ cheating trial.

The former MCA president said his ex-boss’s testimony was important because he chaired Cabinet meetings.

“I would like to say thank you very much to him because that is very generous of him because he was chairing the Cabinet meeting and I am being charged for cheating the whole Cabinet so all these witnesses are very important,” he told reporters at the Sessions Court here today.

Dr Mahathir has said that he will testify in the former transport minister’s trial if the court subpoenas him.

The former PM had also pointed out that Dr Ling is innocent until proven guilty.

Dr Ling said that if Dr Mahathir testifies that the Cabinet was cheated, then he would indeed be guilty.

“If they bear witness that they were cheated then I am guilty. If they bear witness that I cheated then there is a case for trial,” he added.

Dr Ling, 67, is charged with cheating the government by misleading the Cabinet helmed by Dr Mahathir on the land acquisition for the PKFZ project.

The PKFZ project was mooted during his term as transport minister and the cost of the project, initially estimated at less than RM2 billion, more than doubled to RM4.6 billion by 2007.

The total bill for the project is expected to swell to as much as RM12.5 billion due to interest costs from deferred payments, if the trans-shipment hub fails to perform.

He faces up to seven years in jail and a fine under the Penal Code, if found guilty.

The friendship between the two doctors dates back to the 1980s when Dr Ling helped hold the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) together as the MCA president while Dr Mahathir struggled to unite the splintered Umno. Both retired from Cabinet the same year — Dr Ling in May 2003, and Dr Mahathir five months later.

Dr Ling also dismissed speculation that he has been made a scapegoat for the scandal.

“When you are in the palace of justice, don’t talk about scapegoat,” he said.

Last year, The Malaysian Insider reported that Dr Ling had told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) probing the scandal-ridden PKFZ that it was Dr Mahathir who oversaw the project’s land valuation.

In the verbatim of the PAC meeting procedures, the former MCA president pointed out that the costing and valuation of the land was determined by the Valuation and Property Services Department which was chaired by Dr Mahathir, who was the then finance minister.

“Our job in Ministry of Transport is to only state the fact that we want the land. Costings, valuations and all that, it is not the function of the Ministry of Transport. We do not have a valuation department.

“Costings and valuations is a question for the Treasury to deal with. They have the Valuation Department and everything is there, not in Ministry of Transport. I think [it was] Tun Dr Mahathir who chaired it, and he was the finance minister also. He saw it very clearly. That was the fact of the case,” Dr Ling said in the verbatim report.

 

[kensington]

Liong Sik puts government in tight spot


By Clara Chooi


When Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik was hauled up to shoulder a chunk of the blame for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, his persecution was viewed as a whitewash to take the heat off the real perpetrators.

During mention of his case in court today however, the former Transport Minister showed that in no way was he ready to go down alone.

When his case was called, Dr Ling asked for the Cabinet documents on PKFZ to be declassified, a move that will surely put the present administration in an uncomfortably tight spot.

Dr Ling’s lawyers pointed out in court today that the documents were necessary for the defence to prepare its case.

They asked that all Cabinet documents on the project, like the Cabinet meeting minutes, Cabinet committee meetings and post-Cabinet papers, all under the Official Secrets Act 1972, be declassified.

With so much public scrutiny on the scandalous multibillion ringgit PKFZ failure, the Najib administration is now faced with tremendous pressure to reveal the documents.

Doing so however, may only open up a can of worms, one that was kept successfully sealed shut and gathering dust all these years. More bigwigs may finally be hauled up to face the music along with Dr Ling who has been seen so far, as the government’s scapegoat to close the books on the scandal for good.

Outside of court, Dr Ling also cleverly told reporters that he would “definitely” be found guilty for his cheating charge if his former boss, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said so.

In the same breath, Dr Ling thanked the former Prime Minister for his “generous offer” to testify in his trial and at the same time, also said that if Dr Mahathir were to testify that he had cheated the Cabinet, then he would indeed be guilty.

In saying so, Dr Ling appears to be making room to share some of the limelight with Dr Mahathir, who had at first kept conspicuously silent after Dr Ling’s arrest.

Now, the onus seems to rest more on Dr Mahathir instead of the court, to determine Dr Ling’s guilt.

When he was questioned during the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) probe last year, Dr Ling had also said that it was Dr Mahathir himself who had been in charge of overseeing the PKFZ’s land valuation.

Now, since Dr Ling is facing cheating charges for purportedly misleading Dr Mahathir’s Cabinet into approving the purchase of land for the PKFZ project, his testimony last year may likely come in handy.

During the same probe, Dr Ling’s secretary-general in the Transport Ministry Zaharah Shaari had also gone on record to say that the land acquisition had been made in full knowledge of the Cabinet.

Zaharah had also mentioned that Dr Ling was aware that the government would have saved over RM600 million if the land had been acquired in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act 1960 and had apparently spoken about the matter to Dr Mahathir.

Although everything now hinges on the truth of these few testimonies, there is already a strong enough doubt cast on the case.

Should the government be willing now to agree to the declassification of the Cabinet documents, it could, above all things, determine if the testimonies above were somewhat true.

Should this bid be rejected however, it would only serve to exacerbate the already escalating suspicion that Dr Ling’s persecution was merely a part of the Barisan Nasional government’s well-manufactured strategy to close the books on the PKFZ and paint the administration, under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, in a good light as effective graftbusters.



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