I must comment that I am not surprised by Samy Vellu comment that the Ministry of Finance and PMC are to be blamed for the public works project.

From browsing the news, it doesn't come as a surprise because all along no one had any answers to the issue and hence the natural thing to do was to attack the key person who could reveal the problem.

If Pak Lah is serious about corruption and government efficiency, he must pursue the allegations on Samy Vellu.

The likely truth is that it was a conspiracy, ie. an unhealthy acceptance of corruption and malpractice by many parties.

He must send a message that the days of such unhealthy acceptance are over. I do not believe Samy Vellu when he said that unhealthy practise is limited to after the appointment of the PMC. I am quite sure that such practise has been normal for a long time.

Public Works projects have had problems for a long time. It is only recently that Pak Lah was appointed PM and the masses dared to voice their discontent.

I do not even buy Samy Vellu's excuse that he was overruled. The fact of the matter is that he actually defended PMC initially.

If the Finance Ministry and PMC overruled him, it is the Works Ministry's job to make sure they could at least do the job.

Why did he not make sure the Work Ministry was not to be blamed if problems came up? Even if PMC and Finance Ministry is mostly to be blamed, he was a co-conspirator.

The truth is that Samy Vellu is part of the problem, and at worst, the beginning of the problem. He should have came clean from the start, admitted there were mistakes, and made sure people are accountable.

He could have saved himself then. As it stands, it is clear he is part of the problem. Worst, we now do not know how deep the problem is, or for how long things like these have been going on.

Anwar Ibrahim talked of the many backroom deals he was privy to during his tenure as finance minister.

This is an opportunity to have thieves go after each other. It's an opportunity to send a message that the public and civil service must be of a high standard.

It's about sending a message of accountability and performance. The danger is that the problem has reached a very high level, even all the way to Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Pak Lah should be confident that the people will stand behind him if he allows due process to take place.