The report on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal will be disclosed to the public by the Transport Ministry either tomorrow or Saturday, said Minister Ong Tee Keat.

"I walk the talk. I mean it and as I said earlier, this (report) will definitely be made known to the public," he told a press conference in Shah Alam this morning.

Asked when this would be done, Ong said: "Within the next day or two."

ong tee keat launch seminar road traffic accident study day 041208 06 Ong, who is also MCA president, was asked regarding the ministry's report on the controversial project now - believed to have cost more than RM5 billion - amidst talk that the document had been completed.

He said this is separate from the report being prepared by independent auditor Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PWC), which will be presented by the Port Klang Authority (PKA) as soon as PWC gets the green light from the Finance Ministry.

"I understand that they are fine-tuning it because they need to fine-tune certain things. I will leave it to them (to disclose) later. They have to go through certain formalities.

"You must understand that the hiring of their (PWC) services in fact came from PKA. No doubt, PKA comes under the jurisdiction of the Transport Ministry.

"But when you hire the services of PricewaterhouseCoopers, you still need to seek the endorsement and consent of the Ministry of Finance," he added.

However, he did not state whether or not PWC's report will be made public.

Chronology of events

Ong reiterated that the ministry report would disclose, among other things, the chronology of events both before and after the change of guards at the ministry (under the then-minister Chan Kong Choy), PKFZ and PKA.

"This would be presented by my ministry and PKA together... One thing I can assure you is that the people are more concerned about where the money goes," said Ong.

"Within my jurisdiction, certainly, I will make it known to the public... As I said earlier, on my part, a promise is a promise," he added.

cairo trip controversy 210105 lee hwa beng Malaysiakini earlier reported PKA chairperson Lee Hwa Beng as announcing in October that a six-member team led by a PWC senior manager has been conducting the probe.

Lee was appointed to the PKA in May and was entrusted with appointing the auditor and to assist the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in its probe.

Lee, however, said there has not been any follow-up on the matter by the PAC since he took over the post.

Ong had earlier stated that his ministry's investigation is focused on the qualitative aspects of the matter, while PWC's audit looks at the quantitative aspect.

port klang free zone pkfz audit One of Ong's first missions after being appointed transport minister earlier this year was a pledge to clear the air regarding PKFZ.

The project, called a white elephant by critics, was supposed to be an import-export hub modeled after the highly-successful Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai.

pkfz port klang free zone the white elephant project connections update 291008 However, it came under fierce criticism after news reports emerged of alleged mismanagement, conflict of interest involving political figures and numerous other irregularities.

More trouble erupted in July last year when the cabinet approved a RM4.6 billion 'soft-loan' in the form of bonds to PKFZ in a bid to revitalise the ailing project.

Critics have called the whole matter a scandal and slammed the billion-dollar loan as a poorly-thought out government bailout.

Libel suit

On another matter, Ong said he would have to scrutinise the RM100 million libel suit against him following the decision to scrap the e-Kesihatan health screening system and obtain legal advice before formulating and disclosing his next steps.

Supremme Systems Sdn Bhd had filed the suit after the contract was cancelled following reports that the company would easily earn RM400 million over 15 years upon being awarded the contract by the Road Transport Department.

The company's executive director Nordin Yahya had denied this, and said the contract would only be for five years.

Ong also disclosed that news of the libel suit against him was among the reasons prompting his early return from a trip to the UK.

"Even before I touched down at (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) KLIA, when I was at London Heathrow Airport, I had been informed of the libel suit in a text message. This hastened my return home."

Asked about the MCA presidential council that has yet to meet, Ong said the party leadership was in no hurry to hold its first meeting.

MoU signing

Earlier, Ong had witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia (Sirim) Bhd and EGR Tech Sdn Bhd to test and certify the latter’s development of a hydrogen production system for internal combustion engines.

The system developed by EGR extracts hydrogen gas from ordinary water and - through computer-aided technology called a ‘brain chip’ - harnesses the energy for injection into vehicle combustion chambers.

EGR's chief executive officer KB Woo said tests of its hydrogen system on conventional commercial buses had reduced by 50 percent the vehicles’ dependence on pure diesel or petrol to run their internal combustion engines.

Woo also said the use of the hydrogen system lowered the engines' temperature and led to much cleaner exhaust emission than buses using only diesel or petrol.

Pending validity testing by Sirim and approval by the Road Transport Department, Woo said the technology can be applied for commercial use in trucks and buses within three years.

Subsequently, said Woo, they plan to make it applicable for use in tug-boats, ferries and fishing boats, and eventually for aircrafts.

Welcoming the development, Ong said: "Whatever invention that brings benefits to users and consumers, especially during these hard and challenging times is very timely."

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