Writer: Brenda Ch’ng
Published: Fri, 30 Mar 2012SHAH ALAM: The value of directly negotiated contracts has dropped nearly 99 percent from RM396 million in 2007 to RM4.7 million last year, the Menteri Besar told the state assembly on Tuesday.
“Some of the contracts are continuous and it takes time to phase (them) out,” Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim explained at a press conference after the sitting.
Khalid disclosed the figures to refute controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin’s claim that the state had dished out over RM250 million worth of contracts without open tender.
The state’s records showed that only 168 directly negotiated contracts amounting to RM116 million were awarded since Pakatan Rakyat (PR) took over Selangor in 2008.
In addition, the RM116 million worth of contracts granted over four years was lower than the annual value of contracts Barisan Nasional (BN) was giving out from 2005 to 2007.
The BN-led administration had approved contracts amounting to RM190.7 million in 2005 and RM171.9 million in 2006 without open tender.
The amount spiked 130 percent to RM396 million in 2007 in the run-up to the 2008 general election.
However, the amount was reduced to RM60 million in 2008 when PR came into power.
The value of directly negotiated contracts further declined to RM24.3 million in 2009, increased to RM27.1 million in 2010 but dropped to RM4.7 million last year.
Khalid insisted that direct tenders are still needed, especially during emergencies “If there is a landslide, we’ll have to select the right person to handle it immediately. It’ll be hard to ask for a price quote or go through the tender process,” he said.
Khalid had promised on March 7 to disclose the documents, which were classified under the Official Secrets Act, in the interest of transparency.
Selangor Times