Facebooker Mazita Na defended Prime Minister's Principal Private Secretary, Dato Nazimah against recycle allegations made against her yesterday.
This allegation is quite funny. When it first broke out, one defense put forth by a FBer was to claim her wearing Zhulian fake jewellery.
Since BN returned to the PMship, the exploits of Ministers' private secretaries became the conversation on the political grapevine. Old rumour of private secretary charging toll for appointment is making its round again. This time a son-in-law's mother is thrown in the same boat albeit at a premium.
There is the occasion of a private secretary could set Minister's itinerary at a moment notice. Since it is not a viable arrangement, the reception turned out less than desired. The ex-officio was called back to head office and "cold storaged". It turned out to not for a government matter, in which the outcome became a major controversy.
A recent whispering is saying a Ministry Secretary General (KSU) may get the boot for not seceding to a private secretary request with regard to a government tender.
Not sure which Ministry and who, but this differ from the commonly heard talk of KSUs not playing ball to Minister's request.
Its difficult to pinpoint the KSU, but a Little Bird in the IT industry have been raising issue of a retender for the simple supply of tablets for PRSIS program.
PRSIS is the acronym for PerantiSiswa Keluarga Malaysia. It is a program announced in Budget 2022 tabled last year meant to provide computer tablets for qualified students at institutes for higher learning.
Application opened on April 15th 2022 and more info available on MoF page here.
The budget is expected to be sizeable. According to Tengku Zafrul during the budget presentation, some 350,000 students will benefit from this Keluarga Malaysia program. The Higher Education Ministry claimed 600,000 students.
That is potential votes from new voters for the ruling party, in which the beneficiary is not sure to whether it is BN or PN or both or none
On the other hand, big budget usually attracts many suitors. There will be increased competition, intensed lobby and suspiciously kickbacks too. This is merely speculating it happenned in the PRSIS tender.
Tender opened on February 23rd. Forms distributed from the same date till the 28th and tender closed on March 14th, about last month.
By end of March, the tender result was finalised. The Tender Board (or Lembaga Perolehan (LP)) for the Ministry for Communication and Multimedia (KKMM) made their recommendation to the Ministry of Finance (MOF) for final endorsement.
This is a Projek untuk Rakyat or peoples' well being project and the LP team adhered strictly to the criteria for the lowest price and best support and services.
Suddenly, market talk is it will be retendered in mid-May, about next week. Instead of being handled by KKMM, MOF will be handling the tender themselves.
In Malaysia, it is a usual happening in the mysterious government procurement game. However this retender is puzzling. The tender is straight forward and no rocket science. The requirement is neither complex nor the first of its type.
The Little Bird went snooping and shared her finding. Apparently, there is a wahyu (instruction from the Gods) to recommend the award to another company.
The problem in satisfying that request is that it will cost more per unit cost by RM140. That translate to a total difference of RM49 million for this particularly tender.
Any smart crook will not do that. Let alone a straight officer at MOF. Despite the rumours on Tengku Zafrul, there are still honest officers at MOF.
More so, this is a hot project and to buy the same brand and same spec at a significantly higher price is suicidal. MACC could come in and close their case faster than the one week it took to investigate Syed Saddiq for money laundering.
If caught, it will backfire badly on KKMM's LP and MOF. So it explains for the retender being handled by MOF.
Acting in such gung ho manner without considering the downside implication seemed to be the trademark of the rumoured private secretaries.
Still, this is not in any way accusing Dato Rubiayah Abdul Rahman of directing the LP to change their tender recommendation.
Weststart or Weststar?
According to Little Bird, someone did acted on behalf of the Minister or probably only the Minister's office to order the KSU and LP to alter the tender result in favour of a company mentioned as Weststart.
There is no such company found on Google except perhaps West Star and the group has a subsidiary, Weststar Engineering involved in IT.
West Star was the controversial company implicated in Rafidah Aziz car AP scandal in which since becoming pro-opposition, DAP stop picking on her and Kit Siang even visited her for Hari Raya.
More checking needed to confirm Weststar participation in the tender.
If it is retendered by MOF, the self-interest parties close to some top gun in KKMM can only be expected to be terribly sore and bitter to miss this easy money.
Should the parties are in the position of power, there will be effort to remove the KSU. Just wait and see whether Ministry's KSU Dato Seri Mohamed bin Mentek get transfered to the JPA pool like what almost happened to an ambassador and Wisma Putera officers.
Since PH and PN government, frequent change of Ministers secretaries or Ministries' KSU is rampant. Maszlee changed political secretaries at least five times.
Insider information on government became accessible to then opposition because they talk when Ministers imposed their will and strong armed high level government officers.
Deja Vu
It is a surprise for any BN Minister to repeat the same foolish mistake of the past. Voters will think BN never learned their lesson.
Even if Annuar Musa is not involved, he could be implicated because he has a tarnished reputation at almost all the government agencies and Ministries he was involved before. It better not happen under his watch.
KKMM is a gold mine and the KSU will be seen to be in the way because interested parties can't force or control the working level in their favour to influence result and make them win tender looking as though it is fair and square.
They seemed quite resourceful to got hold of the LP recommendation to MOF. Not too many office have access to matters relating to Keluarga Malaysia programs.
There are two high flying mamaks mentioned by an enforcement agency insider for actively fixing tenders. They could end up implicating a certain high profile politician. Without proof, will say no more.
Nevertheless, what is it about government program to supply notebook and tablet. In 2010, there was a big hoo haa in the blogosphere on the 1Malaysia Notebook program under Rais Yatim.
There was the attention on Muhyiddin's RM5 billion 1 Computera 1 Student project 2014 in 2013.
And now it is PRSIS!