KUCHING, Aug 28 — Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong is urging the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to explain its decision to end its investigation of the Kuching Musical Fountain project.
In describing the MACC decision as ‘perplexing’, she said the case involved not just the issue of accountability and integrity but also poor implementation, with the contractor not adhering to the terms of the contract.
“I am greatly disappointed and shocked to know that the MACC has decided that there will be no prosecution and has since ceased all investigation with no further action on the infamous RM31.89 million Kuching Musical Fountain project,” she said in a statement yesterday.
Yong said the MACC decision was revealed in an answer given to a question submitted by Stampin MP Chong Chieng Jen in the Dewan Rakyat recently.
According to her, the second series of the Auditor-General’s Report for 2018 had clearly pointed out that the Kuching Musical Fountain project was submitted, evaluated, approved and awarded within a short span of 36 days without any open tender, to a private company which had zero experience in building musical fountains and waterscapes.
“To put it aptly, it was a project that was never budgeted for and was whisked through in a high-handed, fast-tracked manner by the Sarawak government.
“May I ask MACC, if they were to look into the allegation that 101 projects were allegedly awarded through direct negotiations under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government, why is it ending its investigation on this RM31.89 million Kuching Musical Fountain project that was obviously done through direct negotiation by the Sarawak government?”
Yong said MACC risked being seen as practising double standard whereby investigations are only conducted on PH’s alleged direct-negotiation projects and not on those during the Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional era. — Borneo Post Online
