Automated Enforcement System (AES) contractor Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd has not fully answered allegations of its links to Johor Umno through its largest shareholder Rozana Redzuan, said PKR.

PKR central committee member Chang Lih Kang said while the company has explained that one of the alleged links, prominent former Umno Johor division chief Redzuan Salim passed away 12 years ago, the company had failed to mention the latter’s wife.

“(Beta Tegap’s) statement mentioned that Rozana’s late father, Redzuan has passed away 12 years ago, but it was conveniently silent on the fact that Rozana’s mother, Atkah Abdullah, was also a two-term state assemblyperson of Sri Medan, Johor.

“Puan Sri (Atkah Abdullah) was a central figure of Johor Umno Women wing, as the deputy state chief,” said Chang in a statement today.

Earlier this week Chang revealed that Rozana was the eldest child of two Umno Johor members, Redzuan and Atkah.

The two parents and a cousin are also Umno state assemblypersons.

Chang said the Transport Ministry needed to justify why the contract was awarded to Beta Tegap - which by its own admission had relied on the “expertise of its international technical partner” - if not for its Umno links.

No ‘cheap publicity’

Yesterday the company in a statement replied that Chang’s allegations were “insensitive and clearly cheap publicity” and ticked him off for “speaking ill of the dead”.

Chang in turn blasted the company for trivialising the issue of cronyism.

“To my deep regret, the intention of my revelation was distorted. I was merely stating an undeniable fact when I revealed that Rozana’s parents were renowned Umno leaders in Johor.

“I did not speak ill of anyone, let alone the dead. I do not see any element of slander by disclosing the connection between Umno and the parents of their largest shareholder,” said Chang.

“In many countries, practice of cronyism in the government is unforgivable. Few months ago, Poland’s minister of agriculture Marek Sawicki offered his resignation in the wake of allegations of cronyism in his ministry,” he added.

Reminding the company of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s speech against rent-seeking and patronage in 2010, he added, “Hence, no one should rubbish a revelation of alleged cronyism as cheap publicity.”