Sunday, October 9, 2016

Graft case is akin to “1MDB- Sabah mini version”. updated on 11 Oct 2016.

Daily Express ---
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Case sounds like mini version of 1MDB
Published on: Sunday, October 16, 2016
THE Daily Express Sunday edition front page headline screamed “Impossible Shafie didn’t know” (9 Oct. 2016).Maybe he knows but he is not telling at this point in time. So if he really did not know, then ask the Prime Minister who would know because there was a Bernama report “New Water Supply Development Project to cost RM52billion – Samy” 20 February, 2004 for Peninsula Malaysia for 2000-2050.
Deputy PM Najib then made another press statement titled “Najib: RM25bil for water works” where it was reported “More than RM25bil will be spent over the next 50 years to replace and upgrade pipelines, storage tanks, and water treatment plants, said DPM Najib. This additional portion of RM25b making it RM77b would be extended to Sabah and Sarawak.
So how much of the approved RM77b had been disbursed since 2000 until 2016? For the Sabah portion since 2010 of RM3.3b, the Auditor General (AG) should have done a full audit on the expenditure allocated.
Did the MACC go into the water department as alerted by the AG? Don’t the Sabah Water Department prepare proper annual accounts?
The news report “Sabah gets top marks for financial Management” New Sabah Times, Dec 5, 2015 where Sabah was awarded 4 stars from the Auditor-General for three consecutive years from 2012-2014.
Why wasn’t the water graft case not detected for such massive amount when the RM3.3b money was allocated from Kuala Lumpur/Putrajaya which should be monitored by the Federal Audit Department even for a State Water Department?
With this development, the whole nation had been failed by the Auditor-General in every aspects as I know that as I used to work for a short spell in the Federal Audit Deaprtment based in Kota Kinabalu.
How much of the RM3.3b actually arrived in Sabah? If the State Water Department maintained proper accounts, it would be revealed instantly even for a few years.
It is indeed very disturbing that “60pc of the project allocation stolen” as reported and that is nearly RM2billion stolen while MACC so far only managed to discover and seize RM300m.
Look at it at another angle, the RM300m could be from the portion of 40pc that arrived in Sabah. So what is what?
Was RM2b stolen before it arrived in Sabah?
If Najib cannot explain, then it is like a small one “1MDB- Sabah mini version” as substantial money has sort of disappeared and unaccounted for. Would MACC really go into the depth of the “Ops Water”?
Would a White Paper be presented in Parliament of all the money so far disbursed of the total RM77b?
If 60pc of the allocation also stolen so far disbursed nationwide, then the Government must be made accountable.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman called for immediate review on procurement procedures, monitoring and financial management of all State Departments and agencies particularly those involving allocations and funds outside the State budget.
State Tourism, culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, has again called for de-centralisation of decision-making so that the State Government will have the power to monitor federal development funds, including who project contracts are awarded to.
Tan Sri Ali Hamza the Federal Chief Secretary said “he said this was an isolated case while almost all, the other public servants had integrity.
What kind of impression/message would this denial statement provide? If this is an isolated case, then would MACC be expected to proceed to create more “havoc” of the kind of its own for its own agenda as previously ‘dormant’ for decades? Would MACC this time round do similar performance like record busts of grafts in other places in Malaysia where rumours of even greater corruption are rampant too? Sabah is in Malaysia for 53 years and yet we still face such faulty systems when it is beyond system as corruption is borderless and endless in Malaysia for decades.
I am sure Prime Minister cum Finance Minister should know everything as the Sabah water project commenced in 2010 soon after he became PM in 2009.
In view of the ill-gotten gains recovered so far of RM300m and maybe more in the pipeline, the money seized by MACC meant for water project in Sabah must be returned to the Water Department to continue to improve the water needs urgently in Sabah and not returned to Federal coffer and I quote : “On the cash and other funds recovered, Azam of MACC said if the court found the money to be ill-gotten, it would be returned to the Government.
The development of “Ops Water” would be closely observed by the public and should not be swept under the carpet as pressure could be piling from some quarter for a quick premature end.





Graft case is akin to “1MDB- Sabah mini version”. 

Daily Express’s Sunday edition front page headline screamed “Impossible Shafie didn’t know” (9 Oct. 2016).  Maybe he knows but he is not telling at this point in time.  So if he really did not know, then ask the Prime Minister Najib who would know because there was a Bernama press report “New Water Supply Development Project to cost RM52billion – Samy” 20 February, 2004 for Peninsula Malaysia for 2000-2050.  Deputy PM Najib then made another press statement titled “Najib: RM25bil for water works” by Nick Leong where  it was reported “ More than RM25bil will be spent over the next 50 years to replace and upgrade pipelines, storage tanks, and water treatment plants, said DPM Najib.  This additional portion of RM25b making it RM77b would be extended to Sabah and Sarawak.


So how much of the approved RM77b had been disbursed since 2000 until 2016?


For the Sabah portion since 2010 of RM3.3b, the Auditor General (AG) should have done a full audit on the expenditure allocated.  Did the MACC go into the water department as alerted by the AG?   Don’t the Sabah Water Department prepare proper annual accounts?  The news report “Sabah gets top marks for financial Management” New Sabah Times, Dec 5, 2015 where Sabah was awarded 4-star from the Auditor-General for three consecutive years from 2012-2014.  Why wasn’t the water graft case not detected for such massive amount when the RM3.3b money was allocated from Kuala Lumpur/Putrajaya which should be monitored by the Federal Audit Department even for a State Water Department?  With this development, the whole nation had been failed by the Auditor-General in every aspects as I know that as I used to work for a short spell in the Federal Audit Deaprtment based in Kota Kinabalu.


How much of the RM3.3b actually arrive in Sabah?  If the State Water Department maintained proper accounts, it would be revealed instantly even for a few years.


It is indeed very disturbing that “60% of the project allocation stolen” as reported and that is nearly RM2billion stolen while MACC so far only managed to discover and seize RM300m.  Look at it at another angle, the RM300m could be from the portion of 40% that arrived in Sabah.  So what is what?  Was RM2b stolen before it arrived in Sabah?  If Najib cannot explain, then it is like a small one “1MDB- Sabah mini version” as substantial money has sort of disappeared and unaccounted for.  Would MACC really go into the depth of the “Ops Water”?  Would a White Paper be presented in Parliament of all the money so far disbursed of the total RM77b?  If 60% of the allocation also stolen so far disbursed nationwide, then the Government must be made accountable.

Have we sense something like irrelevance for decades now when the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman's call for immediate review on procurement procedures, monitoring and financial management of all state departments and agencies particularly those involving allocation and funds outside the State budget when Masidi said he has, in fact, made call on various occasions? 


State Tourismculture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, has again called for de-centralisation of decision-making so that the State Government will have the power to monitor federal development funds, including who project contracts are awarded to.


Tan Sri Ali Hamza the Federal Chief Secretary said " this was an isolated case while almost all the public servants had integrity. 

What kind of impression/message would this denial statement provided? If this is an isolated case, then would MACC be expected to proceed to create more "havoc"of the kind of its own for its own agenda as previously "dormant" for decades?  Would MACC this time round do similar performance like record busts of grafts in other places in Malaysia where rumours of even greater corruption are rampant too?

Sabah is in Malaysia for 53 years and yet we still face such faulty systems when it is beyond system as corruption is borderless and endless in Malaysia for decades.

 I am sure Prime Minister cum Finance Minister should know everything as the Sabah water project commenced in 2010 soon after he became PM in 2009.

In view of the ill gotten gains recovered so far of RM300m and maybe more in the pipeline, the money seized by MACC meant for water project in Sabah must be returned to the Water Department to continue to improve the water needs urgently in Sabah and not returned to Federal coffer and I quote :"On the cash and other funds recovered, Azam of MACC said if the court found the money to be ill-gotten, it would be returned to the Government.

The development of “Ops Water” would be closely observed by the public and should not be swept under the carpet as pressure could be piling from some quarter for a quick premature end.



Joshua Y. C. Kong 11 October, 2016.

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