VIDEO | 2.59 mins

PARLIAMENT The Dewan Rakyat has been given details of the supplier of the indelible ink used for the first time during the 13th general election in May.

NONE Rafizi Ramli (PKR-Pandan, right ) cited information from “internal sources in the Election Commission (EC)” in saying that the contract for the ink supply was awarded through a direct tender.

He named both the companies and the businessperson who controls them, but Malaysiakini has withheld these details pending the right of reply.

Rafizi, when debating the Supplementary Supply Bill today, said the companies also supplied t-shirts and hats to the EC.

"(The businessperson) is an expert in direct negotiations. He got the ink contract, he even got a defence contract ... because he is close to government leaders including the chairperson and deputy chairperson of the EC," he said.

Malaysiakini has contacted the EC officials for comment, but has yet to obtain any response.

Rafizi said Pakatan Rakyat had to conduct its own investigation after the EC and the government refused to name the supplier of the ink.

NONE Shahidan Kassim ( left ), the minister in the Prime Minister's Department, had admitted in the House that the indelible ink did not contain any chemical, except for food dye , but refused to disclose the name of the supplier for "security reasons".

"To date, we have waited for an answer on the supplier of the indelible ink, which was not only expensive, but unusable,” said Rafizi.

"Because the EC and the minister have refused to come clean, I request the minister, when winding up later, to verify the information that we have revealed.”       

'What's the crime?'

NONE Rafizi said there were a total of three companies involved in the direct negotiation, and they were either directly or indirectly controlled by the said businessperson.

Later, Reezal Merican Naina Merican (BN-Kepala Batas, left ) interjected, querying if there was any wrong in direct negotiations.

"What is the crime over there? Direct negotiation is not new and was even done by past leaderships such as when Permatang Pauh (Anwar Ibrahim) was Finance Minister," he said.

Rafizi rebutted that direct negotiations were only done in projects that required specialised skills.

"But certainly it is not done for indelible ink where the whole world is up for the job," he said.

NONE The first-term MP also cheekily mocked Bung Mokthar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan, right ), stating: "Many other companies could have supplied the indelible ink at a good price. Pity Kinabatangan, he also has a right to compete if his company can supply indelible ink and is better or more indelible".

He was referring to Bung Mokthar's admission yesterday that he has asked for government contracts but could not get any due to open tenders.

However, despite the calls from Rafizi for the government to clarify the matter, Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan, in his winding up speech, was mum on the alleged indelible ink supplier.

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