There is no need to discuss issues pertaining to Project Management Consultants (PMC) and non-PMC infrastructure development projects, said Dewan Rakyat Speaker Ramli Ngah Talib today.

In rejecting the opposition's emergency motion, he agreed that the matter is of public interest but argued that there is no urgency to discuss it since the government has acted against errant contractors.

Ramli said he was told that all government projects are now under the supervision of a technical agency as stated in a Finance Ministry circular issued this year.

As for those projects still under the PMC, the ministry has ordered the relevant agencies to monitor these closely to ensure that they are completed on schedule.

Action will be taken if any of these runs into problems.

"Therefore, there is no issue to be discussed in this motion because action has been taken on all issues being raised," said the Speaker in a letter to Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor).

Third attempt

Last Friday, Lim submitted an emergency motion under Standing Order 18 (1) in seeking leave to adjourn the House to debate the failed government projects.

This was his third attempt to have the matter debated. He had earlier submitted an ordinary motion and invoked a rarely used standing order to submit a question concerning the matter.

He also sent a letter to Works Minister S Samy Vellu last week regarding the projects but has yet to receive any response.

There was commotion in the House this morning when Lim attempted to read out his emergency motion.

Speaking to reporters later, Lim said the Speaker's reasons for rejecting his motion were "unsatisfactory and unacceptable".

He described the decision as "wrong, misguided and against efforts to transform the Malaysian Parliament into a First World Parliament".

"The speaker seems to have very low standards for government accountability and very lax rules for government stewardship of public funds," he said.

"Any conscientious and responsible MP would have rejected the two reasons which were clearly given to fob off the request for an urgent debate in Parliament. These are nothing but a red herring and very weak excuses."

Lim added that he would move a substantive motion - which requires two days' notice - to review the Speaker's decision.

When he came under pressure to quit over the problematic projects, the works minister had pinned the blame on the PMC, which is under the Finance Ministry's jurisdiction.

He claimed that PMC had usurped and hijacked the traditional role, responsibilities and powers of the Public Works Department to monitor and supervise government infrastructure development projects.

Where's the briefing?

Meanwhile, the backbenchers are still waiting for a briefing by Samy Vellu, who was instructed last month to do so by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"We are waiting for more information, the minister knows we are waiting for his initiative," said Backbenchers Club chairperson Shahrir Samad when contacted recently.

"We have not forgotten, those queries (concerning the infrastructure breakdowns) are still on our mind."

Shahrir said the Backbenchers Club is also seeking a meeting with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Najib to air their views.

Last week, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz said no decision has been made by the cabinet as to whether Samy Vellu should hold the briefing.