VOXPOP 'If a company with their pitiful experience can secure such a large project, it was only through the highest level of intervention.'

'George Kent abysmally rated for Ampang LRT project'

Starr: This is how contracts are awarded in Malaysia. As PM Najib Razak says, there is nothing wrong . This is the way the federal government has been awarding contracts all along.

There is no need for tenders to be pre-qualified so long as they are sufficiently connected with the powers-that-be.

With contracts being awarded in this manner, is it any wonder why contracts have been subsequently granted variation orders often in excess of the original contract sums?

Given such systemic failures in the government procurement, is it any surprise that the country is heading the way of Greece?

Loyal Malaysian: In Bolehland, it does not matter if contractor George Kent was abysmally rated for the LRT (light rail transit) project. What matters is that its boss is Najib's golf partner.

Bootsie: If people in power can do this to commuters without any consideration for safety or lives, how can we trust these characters with the running of the country. It's time to boot them out completely before we vanish into thin air.

Adam: PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli, give me one reason for me to believe you this time. I'm sure that the facts given here are not 100 percent true. Just wait and see.

Here Not: Adam, what if the allegation is 80 or 90 percent true. Ignore it?

Democrat 53: Rafizi may not be far off on the Ampang LRT extension project cost. If a company with such pitiful experience can secure such a large project, it was only through the highest level of intervention.

Hence, Najib is very quiet and Prasarana is also not able to say anything because the evidence is clear that the PM had a hand in it.

One thing is certain, a company unfit to build such an important public utility project cannot be awarded the LRT project. This will cause hardship to all citizens, be it current or future users, and the people who ultimately are going to foot the bill.

Mushiro: If Najib can so blatantly and openly award a RM1 billion project - against expert advice - to a crony who is not qualified and with no relevant experience, then it shows that Najib is desperate for the commission that he would rip.

It also shows that Najib is so thick-skinned to push this project, in spite of the helpless Finance Ministry committee, the other seven bidders and hundreds of inner circle people. Many international companies are aware of this and will react accordingly.

Odin: This is like awarding the contract to design and build the Petronas Twin Towers to a small-time contractor who engages a half dozen men to cut the grass by the road side. An example of the Economic Transformation Programme, this.

Lim Chong Leong: Umno will say the opposition is only politicising the issue. How does one politicise incompetence? Either they are incompetent or they are not. George Can or Not?

Tailek: Rafizi, open this can of worms for all the rakyat to see the kind of transformation programme Najib is always boasting about.

It's nothing but corrupt practice when a small company with no experience wins a mega project.

Caripasal: The most important factors in deciding the winning tender are connection, collusion and corruption. Prior experience and expertise are of no importance.

Furore over PSD chief's abrupt sacking

Clever Voter: From a professional perspective, outgoing Public Services Department (PSD) chief Abu Bakar Abdullah should be held accountable for the mess he created relating to the new remuneration scheme.

But given the way civil service has been managed by their political masters, it is no wonder people seem to think otherwise. It's time for the civil service to change its culture, which is a near impossible task.

Ipoh2: JPA is actually created by a previous PM to manipulate and control the appointments and promotions of civil servants. The Malaysian constitution provided the independent SPA (Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Awam or Public Service Commission) this function.

SPA still handle recruitment into the civil service. JPA (Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam or Public Service Department) is a department in the PM's Department and under the direct control of the PM.

This meant that the PM decides on the appointments and promotions of civil servants, making them beholden to the PM for their posts.

Should Pakatan Rakyat become the federal government, JPA should be dissolved and the rightful powers and functions restored to SPA.

Vijay47: Who the hell cares who is appointed, sacked, or promoted? All these officers hold their positions only for one purpose - to serve Umno's interests.

The heads of the Elections Commission, EPF (Employees Provident Fund), the Royal Malaysian Police, the universities' vice-chancellors, everybody you can think of in the civil service, they have all long sacrificed professional honour and the expectations of their post merely to attain some title and to be numbered among those beholden to Umno.

So don't expect me to shed any tear for the Abu Bakars or any of the other wretcheds. Frankly, my dear, I don't care a damn.

Pemerhati: It is good to see that Malaysia's bloated civil service has been reduced by one. When compared to countries such as Singapore and Taiwan, Malaysia's civil service to population ratio is twice as large.

That means Malaysia should be able to reduce its 1.3 million civil servants by half to a figure of 650,000 and still be as efficient as Taiwan and Singapore if the civil servants are hardworking and competent.

Now that the figure has been reduced by one, there are still another 649,999 parasitic civil servants to be got rid of.

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