The Penang government has dismissed claims that its open tender system allows confidential proposals to be "plagiarised" by rivals companies bidding for state-funded projects.

 

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said that this was not possible as the open competitive tender system practised by the state government does not allow documents to be leaked to competing firms.

 

"It is not possible to have this kind of ‘ciplak’ (plagiarised) proposals or the leaking of confidential project proposals to allow a crony to pass off someone else’s work as their own," Lim said at a press conference today adding that such acts were unhealthy, unethical and immoral.

 

Lim was referring to remarks by Penang Umno secretary Musa Sheikh Fadzir ( left ), who said he received complaints from businessmen that their project proposals were plagiarised by rival firms, who then submitted their bids for the same projects.

 

Musa was quoted in the New Straits Times as urging the state government to launch a probe into the matter.

 

Lim said two other "BN-controlled newspapers" quoted Musa as referring to federal government projects under the Prime Minister's Department.

 

"Even in the BN media they are conflicting reports, so which is Musa referring to? Why drag in the state government if it does not involve us?" Lim told the NST reporter present, saying he did not wish to entertain questions by "your racist newspaper".

 

"But if the claims were true, we hope Musa can reveal which company it is (which copied the proposal) so that we can probe the matter, and if it involves the state government, we will take action," Lim vowed.

 

Lim asserted that if the open tender system was not implemented, certain quarters could copy the proposals of others and pass it off as their own.

 

He added that open tender is the most effective system to prevent proposals from being plagiarised and also to get the best price and quality to benefit the rakyat.

 

Lim also held plagiarisers that were awarded projects often could not carry them out as they had lied about their abilities.

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