DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang has promised the establishment of a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal should Pakatan Rakyat come to power.

azlan "... if Pakatan Rakyat makes it to Putrajaya in the next general election, expected any time now, a RCI will be set up to get to the bottom of the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal," he announced at a book launch in Petaling Jaya this morning.

Lim, an ardent campaigner for disclosure over the PKFZ scandal, said the Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has thus far shown no commitment to pursuing this.

This is evident from the premier's silence on the 'super task force' announced in September 2009 and headed by Mohd Sidek Hassan, the chief secretary to the government, to look into the scandal, said Lim.

"What has happened to this PKFZ super task force? Two and a half years later, Najib has not released even an iota of news with regard to (its) activities and findings," he said.

"The lack of action by this super task force is yet another example of a long list of gigantic U-turns made by Najib and his administration since he became prime minister in 2009."

In June 2009, Lim had attempted to move an urgent motion in the Dewan Rakyat for the establishment of a RCI but it was rejected.

NONE The book, jointly launched by Lim and former transport minister Ong Tee Keat, is entitled ‘PKFZ: A Nation's Trust Betrayed’. It was written by former journalist Lee Siew Lian and former Subang Jaya state assemblyperson Lee Hwa Beng.

Lee had served as Port Klang Authority (PKA) chairperson during Ong's tenure as minister and had worked closely with Ong to investigate the scandal, as well as to implement reform initiatives in the agency.

Lim observed that only a handful of people involved in this “mother of all scandals” have been investigated and charged.

They include former PKA general manager OC Phang, PKFZ turnkey contractor Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) chief operating officer Steven Abok, architect Bernard Tan Seng Swee of BTA Architect, former engineer Law Jenn Dong, and former transport ministers Dr Ling Liong Sik, and Chan Kong Choy.

'Answer this, Najib'

Lim said he has found that the book reveals that many others have not been properly called to account.

Hence he called on Najib to immediately release the findings of the 'super task force' and let the public know the answers to these issues:

1. Whether former PKA chairperson Ting Chew Peh should be charged for his role in signing the agreement, known as LA1, to buy the land for RM1.088 billion calculated at the rate of RM25 per square foot on special value basis’ and to interest at a rate of 7.5 percent before the port authority even received the cabinet's formal approval;

NONE Lim said Ting (left) and Phang had co-signed this agreement even though Ting knew, from his experience as a cabinet minister for nine years that it was usual practice for a cabinet decision to be carried out only after receiving the official extract.

2. Whether another former PKA chairperson and current Housing and Local Government Minister Chor Chee Heung should be charged for any action on his part as a result of possible conflict of interest during the four-month period during which Chor was both a non-independent director and deputy chairperson of Wijaya Baru Global Berhad (Wijaya) as well as the PKA chairperson;

During this period, noted Lim, the PriceWaterhouse-Coopers audit report on the PKFZ scandal noted that ‘Minutes of the Board did not indicate that Datuk Chor Chee Heung either declared his previous involvement in [Wijaya] to the Board or withdraw himself from the deliberations’.

Wijaya is a sister-company of KDSB, sharing the same shareholders and being involved in the construction of PKFZ.

tiong king sing 061009 3. Why only Steven Abok was charged, while Tiong (right) , the former controlling shareholder and chief executive officer of Wijaya and KDSB, and former Umno treasurer Azim Zaibi, the former chairperson of Wijaya and KDSB, were let off scot-free despite having played key roles in the land sale to PKA and the subsequent turnkey development contracts and bond issuance;

4. Whether former Sementa state assemblyperson, former Koperasi Pembangunan Pulau Lumut Bd (KPPLB) chairperson as well as PKA director, Rahman Palil, had shortchanged the members of KPPLB by arguing against compulsory acquisition of the PKFZ land by the federal government;

5. Whether Najib, then deputy prime minister, knew that PKA could not service its long-term debt commitments when he, sitting in for then premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at a cabinet meeting in June 2007, approved the RM4.6billion soft loan to PKA.

‘Silence is no option’

Lee said he wrote the book to convey the message that "silence is no option" when one faces injustice.

NONE "If I don't tell the truth to Malaysians, I'll be burdened for life. By telling the truth, I'm released," he said to a round of applause from some 100 people who attended the book launch.

He expressed regret that Malaysian culture often allows those who remain silent when a scandal breaks out in their organisation to continue their service or even be promoted after the head is removed.

Lee said he is also disturbed because politicians involved in any scandal were still being voted in by the public and appointed as directors by companies.

"My daughter asked me whether I'm scared (because I’ve written the book). I said I am but as a Christian, with God behind me, I fear nobody," Lee said to another round of applause.