When Works Minister S Samy Vellu claims that the government is "already transparent", it is only logical to ask for details.

However, reporters were left to decipher the past, present and future tense in one go as he explained his stance at a press conference today.

When opening a conference on infrastructure development and financing, organised by the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute today, the minister said successful public-private partnerships in infrastructure projects can only be achieved if three requirements are met.

These are mutual trust between the public and private sectors; flexibility for the private sector to be innovative in order to realise value for money; and transparency and accountability.

Later asked how the government is implementing these principles, Samy Vellu harkened back to "the olden days" for an example.

This was when the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Department would hold negotiations with private companies without involving other ministries, he explained.

"When the (time for) implementation came, my ministry would take a beating, (as) nobody (wanted to be) responsible for (problems)," he said.

"Now, we have asked that all decisions be made transparent and that every ministry which is involved should participate in the decision-making process of a private finance initiative."

Samy Vellu also said the government will next require private entities to submit tender documents and, in the case of highway concessions, planned toll rates.

"I'm also asking the government that we set a ceiling for the toll rate, (so as) not to keep on raising (this) from year to year, or every three or five years."

At the same time, Samy Vellu set down a caveat - that disclosing details of infrastructure projects on demand would affect the government's ability to run the country.

"Only when the final decision (has been made), we'll say 'this is what we're going to do'," he said.

"We will set up an office and the documents will be there. Those who are interested, they can come and read. We will have our security (personnel) there, because you don't want somebody to filch a piece of paper out of the agreement."

Selection of UEM

Still on the subject of transparency, Samy Vellu went back to the example of how the 1988 North-South Expressway project had been awarded.

He said United Engineers Malaysia Bhd was not the automatic choice, as DAP had alleged, but was chosen from four bidders after deliberations.

"The North-South Expressway is not something that had been ... given to anyone, like a piece of cake to eat. It was tendered (and) a total of 176 companies showed interest... Finally, we selected United Engineers - to do the job - out of the (total of) four," he said.

Samy Vellu reiterated that the public, including the DAP - which had objected to the concession - had been allowed to scrutinise the agreement.

"I exhibited the whole document in a very large office. There, about 165 documents had been exhibited. They all came in a bunch to see and read (the documents) from 8am right up to 5pm," he said.

"At 5pm, they said 'thank you', and I said 'thank you' to them. So the question of transparency doesn't arise here. It's (the process) already transparent."

Earlier this year, DAP claimed it had merely been shown "a mountainous pile" of tender documents and volumes of traffic projections, toll rates, increases, collections, and financing proposals when it sought information 10 years ago.

Party leader Lim Kit Siang ( photo ) said there was not enough time to go through the documents in detail.