MCA president Ong Tee Keat today denied that his role in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) debacle has come to an end, and that it is a case of 'mission accomplished'

NONE The transport minister welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak last night to set up a 'super task force' on PKFZ.

He said the ministry will give its full cooperation to facilitate the probe carried out by the task force, which is being spearheaded by the chief secretary to the government.

Ong said this is an extension of the effort initiated by him since last October.

He described it as the "final lap of the entire exercise" and "most critical stage" because the super task force is trans-ministry and agency.

M'sians should feel encouraged

Meanwhile, Ong also expressed support for the new task force formed by the cabinet.

"It is an extension of what the Transport Ministry and Port Klang Authority have done and it reflects the seriousness on the part of the government to get to the bottom of this issue.

"I agree with the prime minister that we are all in the same team working towards a common goal of finding the truth. Malaysians should feel encouraged that PM and the cabinet have agreed to take the investigations to another level, to include the attorney-general, chief secretary and Ministry of Finance (MOF)," he said.

"To probe fully into the PKFZ matter as well to turn around the free trade zone, all these parties have to be involved as the immense task cuts across several ministries and government agencies

"For instance, MOF has to step in on matters pertaining to the possible restructuring of government loan by PKA as part of PKFZ’s turnaround plan. Transport ministry can't decide on matters pertaining to the MOF or the police or MACC," he added.

He said the transport ministry and PKA have done everything that it can do that are within its jurisdiction.

"These include the making of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services (PwCAS) position review public, and the follow-up actions taken by the PKA task force, ad-hoc committee on corporate governance as well as the exco committee on PKFZ. They also include the police and MACC reports and legal actions.

"I remain committed to push for a full accounting of the PKFZ issue. I consider the new task force as the last lap in what has been a tedious and complicated marathon race to do what is right not for Ong Tee Keat but for the people," he added.

[More to follow]