KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua today challenged the Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin to name, shame and sue the companies that had entered into a verbal agreement with the government last year to sponsor the RM1.6 million K-Pop concert organised for the National Youth Day celebrations.

Refusal to name the firms, the DAP parliamentarian said, could mean the minister had lied when he blamed them for pulling out of the deal and forcing the government to pick up the tab.

“Legally, a verbal agreement is valid. So if a company has promised to pay RM1.6 million for the concert and did not fork out the money, then the ministry has the power and the right to enforce the payment of the RM1.6 million sponsorship in the courts.

“I had asked them to name but the company but they did not do so. I can only assume that the ministry’s explanation is just an excuse.

“They point the finger at some unknown corporate company who made promises, they couldn’t pay and hence the government has to pay,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

In a written reply, Khairy yesterday said the marketing and sponsorship department had initially gotten verbal confirmations from the companies to sponsor the concert at the 2012 National Youth Day celebration but had pulled out at the last minute.

He said the ministry cannot take any action against the companies because the sponsorship was based on corporate social responsibility.

The first-term minister also said that the decision to hold the K-Pop concert was made collectively by a committee, approved by the ministry. 

Today, Pua said Khairy should take stern action against those responsible, so that officers from other ministries would take it as a lesson to not allow such incident to take place, causing the government to spend unnecessarily.

“If they are serious that this company really made the promise, they should identify the company, shame the company and bring the company to court.

“You can say that they could be lying [if they do not do so],” he said. 

The DAP MP also said pointed out one of the most important criticism from the Auditor-General is that no action has been taken, despite the evidence provided in the the A-G reports. 

“I hope the newly appointed minister and newly re-elected Umno Youth chief will bring his progressive attitude to correct what is wrong with the government and uphold transparency and take stern action against those responsible for the wastages,” he said.

Then minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek is expected to explain about the payment for the K-Pop concert to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) tomorrow. 

He had also insisted that the concert was privately sponsored, up until the AG’s 2012 Report early this month revealed that the ministry had picked up the costly tab.