Shortcomings in communication, lack of planning and coordination, irregularities in application of local council rules, carrying out public duties on assumptions and presumptions were the major reasons behind the 'King of Tennis' debacle last November.

This was indicated in the recommendations made by the Penang Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in its inquiry report on the cancelled event.

penang pac on tennis match 271108 panel The binding House Standing Order may have prevented PAC chairperson Jagdeep Singh Deo from revealing the facts of the inquiry at a press conference at the State Legislative Assembly in George Town today

But a perusal on PAC’s recommendations made in its 'Findings of Inquiry by the Penang State Accounts Committee on the Cancellation of the King of Tennis Event' hinted that various parties involved in the controversial cancellation have failed to communicate and coordinate effectively and openly among each other.

The report was officially submitted by Jagdeep to speaker Abdul Halim Hussain today.

The parties involved were the state executive council, Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) and event organiser Arianna Teoh Lai Poh.

The executive council was chided for not communicating to the relevant government agencies and departments on changes in directives, planning or policies, while the council was ticked off for allowing the organiser to erect a makeshift stadium on the Esplanade field without prior approval.

The PAC’s recommendations indicated that MPPP had kept silent when the stadium was built merely because it "presumed that the state government had given the go-ahead green light to the organiser to do so."

However, it is learnt that a letter of endorsement for the event issued by the state government to Teoh may have also convinced the council to believe that the state government had fully backed the prestigious event scheduled to be held on Nov 14 and 17.

According to council rules, the organiser should have obtained prior approval from local authorities before erecting the stadium.

Adhere to SOP

PAC’s recommendations called on all government agencies and departments to adhere to their respective standard operating procedures (SOP).

"If an exception to the rule is applied, government bodies are advised to refer the issue to higher authorities and obtain a written confirmation and approval," said Jagdeep.

The cancelled event on a makeshift grass court and 5,000-seat stadium in Esplanade was to feature former tennis greats like John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg and James Blake.

"It is recommended that the executive council, and relevant government departments and agencies to communicate, plan and coordinate among each other effectively and orderly to avoid such a debacle in future," said Jagdeep when reading out the PAC's seven-point recommendation to reporters.

The cancellation led to criticism of the competency of the Pakatan Rakyat state government and local municipal council.

Critics raised the question on whether ratepayers' money would be use to repair the damaged field.

The council has already summoned Teoh to pay some RM800,000 for rental, field repair works and other general damages, after she failed to reply to its two-week notice of demand dated Nov 14.

The cancellation led to PAC’s inquiry into fiasco. It conducted two inquiry sessions on Nov 21 and Nov 27, calling up five witnesses to assist its investigation.

The witnesses were council president Zainal Rahim Seman, secretary Tan Cheng Chui and community service department director Mohamad Ismail Ibrahim (first session), and state executive councillor Danny Law Heng Kiang, who oversees the tourism development, culture, arts and heritage portfolios and Teoh (second session).

Jagdeep revealed that testimonies given by the witnesses at the inquiry contradicted each other on certain subjects.

A copy of the PAC inquiry will be distributed to the 40 assemblypersons when the House sits in April.

"We will then reveal publicly the findings in the house for debate by assemblypersons," said Abdul Halim.

Besides Jagdeep, the DAP Datuk Keramat assemblyperson, others in the PAC were Koay Teng Hai (DAP-Pulau Tikus), Sim Tze Tzin (PKR-Pantai Jerejak) and Maktar Shapee (PKR-Sungai Bakap) of Pakatan Rakyat; and Syed Ameruddin Syed Ahmad (Umno-Bayan Lepas), Muhammad Farid Saad (Umno-Pulau Betong) and Ariff Shah Omar Shah (Umno-Seberang Jaya) from the opposition.

Two more PAC members Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman (Permatang Pasir) and Dr Hilmi Yahaya (Teluk Bahang) were absent from both sessions.

However, Hilmi attended the PAC meeting to deliberate and finalise its inquiry findings last Friday.

PAC's final recommendation was for all government agencies and departments not to act or react based on assumptions, presumptions and verbal directives.

A PAC source finally indicated that "the whole fiasco was down to the new Pakatan Rakyat state government's lack of administrative experience."