Inconsistent statements by Road Transport Department (RTD) & Liow Tiong Lai

Media Statement by Teresa Kok, Member of Parliament for Seputeh, 7th June 2012 

Inconsistent statements by Road Transport Department (RTD) & Liow Tiong Lai

The controversial WWW 15 plate of Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai which is now a freebie from the Road Transport Department (RTD) shows that the “open tender system” isn’t transparent and is fatally flawed.

The RTD first claimed that “if the bid is under a personal name, it will be paid by the individual”, but later, shockingly, made an “illegal U-turn” and claimed that the plate was given to Liow and no transaction was made for the successful bid. If the plate was to be given to Liow for free, why was there an open tender for it?

The RTD said Liow used his personal name to participate in the bid wherein, according to the rules, Liow is then required to pay for the successful bidding price of RM24,200.

The bidder is also required to deposit 50% of the bidding price as deposit, therefore it is impossible that Liow did not know how much he has paid for the bid.

Since there was no financial transaction as claimed, I urge the RTD to explain whether it received the 50% deposit and issued a receipt for it.

During the press conference held yesterday, MCA president Chua Soi Lek said that the government money was just going “from the left pocket to the right pocket“.

In short, the MCA ministers are telling the people that they are too stupid to understand that what the government is doing with their taxes is none of the public’s concern.

The MCA ministers’ arrogance is typical of a government that has been robbing Peter to pay Paul all these years.

-Teresa Kok-