Parliament Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang questioned Transparency International (TI) president Paul Low's integrity in investigating the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

Lim asked Ong Tee Keat if the MCA president's decision to appoint Low as chairman of corporate governance was in any way influenced by Low’s past links to the party.

He questioned Low's credibility and said he had received many emails expressing doubts over whether Low would be able to successfully investigate the PKFZ scandal.

lim kit siang on conversion case 210409 03 “Low is a life member of MCA and was also the former chairperson of the MCA think-tank, the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (Insap),” said Lim (left) at a press conference held at the parliament lobby.

"What guarantees can he (Ong) can give that Paul Low will be given and free hand and full powers to probe all abuses of power, conflict-of-interest, malpractice and corruption resulting in the RM12.5 billion PFKZ scandal,” he asked.

pkfz port klang ong tee keat lee hwa beng paul low seng kuan pc 100609 02 “I’m prepared to give Paul Low (right) a chance to prove that he ‘walks the talk’ on integrity as TI president,” said Lim.

Lim also ripped into Ong, saying that Transport Minister, behaved most irresponsibly when he decided to go overseas just as to avoid facing the heat in parliament with regards to the PKFZ scandal.

Resign, Lim tells PAC chief

Lim also called for Azmi Khalid, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to step down from his post because of a conflict of interest over the PKFZ scandal.

He said Azmi was a cabinet minister from 2004 to 2008, during which time the cabinet made several decisions, one of which was the approval of a RM4.6 billion loan to bail out the PKFZ project in 2007.

“Azmi should appear as a witness before the PAC inquiry into the PKFZ scandal,” said Lim, “instead of heading the PAC inquiry into it”.

azmi khalid 02 Azmi (left) dismissed Lim, saying that he only respected the views of PAC members.

“I asked the members of (the) PAC for their decision. Everyone in the committee wanted me in. I have no personal agenda,” said Azmi.

Of the 12 MPs on the committee, five are from the opposition. Azmi claimed he had the support of two members of the opposition but refused to identify them.

MP upset over no action against culprits

Klang MP Charles Santiago asked what action the government plans to take against former MCA president Ling Liong Sik and Chan Kong Choy, two former ministers of the Transport Ministry, and also the current Finance Deputy Minister Chor Chee Heung.

Santiago claimed Ling and Chan had unlawfully issued four letters of support regarding the PKFZ project during.

charles santiago “What will happen now is that the committees that have been formed as a result of the audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report will be the basis of any action that the govt will take,” said Santiago (right) .

“We are going to bear the liability of RM12.5 billion, and the wrongdoers, people who have abused their powers, will go scot free.”

Santiago read snippets from international audit firm’s reports.

The report said that Chor was the non-executive deputy chairman of Wijaya Baru Global Bhd from April 2004 to July 2007 and chairman of Port Klang Authority from April 2007 to March 2008.

“This means that at some point, he was both the deputy chairman of Wijaya Baru and chairman of Port Klang Authority. What it reveals is that the deputy minister of finance has been involved in decision making while he was chairman of Port Klang Authority.

“Clearly this is an abuse of power, clearly there is a conflict of self interest, but the PM now says that no action will be taken against them. Something is amiss and the DAPs proposal for the setting up of royal commission to get to the bottom the mess is urgent and imperative.”

However Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had previously told the House that no action will be taken against anyone.