The Edge Financial Daily face a potential lawsuit of RM100 million from the consortium of Fuel Sub Sdn Bhd, Datasonic Berhad and Pos Malaysia following it's August 19th report, "Cabinet puts fuel subsidiary job award". The said report is available in our August 19th report posting here.
This second lawsuit that received good coverage from mainstream media, print and TV, was reported in Utusan Malaysia. Extract below:
Peguam, Tan Sri Dr. Muhammad Shafee Abdullah yang mewakili konsortium berkenaan berkata, pihaknya turut menuntut akhbar berkenaan mendedahkan sumber yang mendakwa mesyuarat Kabinet memutuskan pelaksanaan rasionalisasi subsidi itu ditangguhkan bagi membolehkan tender terbuka dilakukan.The news coverage can be found in the Bulletin Utama dated August 25th here in Tonton.com (7:40).
"The Edge mendakwa mereka tahu keputusan mesyuarat Kabinet. Sekiranya ada kebocoran maklumat, kita mahu tahu siapa yang membocorkan kerana ini adalah perbincangan di peringkat tertinggi dan melibatkan Akta Rahsia Rasmi (OSA)," katanya dalam sidang akhbar di sini hari ini.
"Fotokopi Ekspres"
Shafee expressed the intention of the consortium to donate the RM300 million lawsuit after deducting cost to charity. Also mentioned, the consortium would submit to the court to obtain IP ownership on the 15 working papers already submitted to the Ministry.
This is the consistent line of argument by the consortium as described before as "Fotokopi Ekspres". The Consortium alleged that their proposals could be stolen and the contract resubmit as open tender. This is certainly some of the unethical practises in public tender.
"Fotokopi Ekspres" was mentioned by few UMNO leaders in late July and August. The Star dated July 31st reported Selangor UMNO Secretary, Dato Johan Abdul Aziz and UMNO Supreme Council member, Dato Puad Zarkashi raised the issue of "Fotokopi Ekspres".
They claimed private initiative proposal by private sector are leaked by insider to friendly party to then participate in an open tender.
UMNO Supreme Council and state assemblymen for Lanchang, Dato Sharkar Shamsuddin echoed the same call by Johan to have MACC come in. The Star report dated August 2nd here.
Maybank-Iris Consortium
On August 8th, Utusan Malaysia wrote a detailed report of YDP Perkasa Negeri Sembilan, Ruslan Kassim against Dato Abdul Wahid Omar for an alleged failed fuel subsidy rationalisation project involving Maybank and it's sub-contractor Iris Corporation in 2009:
08/08/2014
Jangan ulangi kesilapan sama
Oleh KAMIL MASLIH
pengarang@utusan.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR 7 Ogos - Kerajaan digesa tidak mengulangi kesilapan yang membawa kepada kegagalan pelaksanaan program rasionalisasi subsidi minyak RON95 dan diesel oleh Konsortium Maybank-Iris Corporation Bhd. pada 2009.
Yang Dipertua Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa (Perkasa) Negeri Sembilan, Ruslan Kasim berkata, beliau difahamkan kerajaan telah membayar RM200 juta kepada konsortium berkenaan, namun pelaksanaan program rasionalisasi subsidi itu dihentikan pada 2010.
"Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar (bekas Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Maybank) dan Datuk Tan Say Jim (Pengarah Urusan IRIS Corp. Bhd.) sedia maklum keadaan ini, namun pelaksanaan program ini dihentikan pada 2010 tanpa alasan yang kukuh daripada konsortium Maybank-Iris.
"Kita dengar bahawa skim cadangan konsortium Maybank-Iris iaitu pemberian subsidi mengikut kapasiti enjin kenderaan tidak diterima rakyat," katanya dalam satu kenyataan di sini hari ini yang turut disiarkan Buletin Utama TV3 malam ini.
Akhbar sebelum ini melaporkan sebanyak tujuh syarikat telah menghantar cadangan rasionalisasi subsidi minyak kepada kerajaan.
Langkah melaksanakan program rasionalisasi subsidi bahan api itu bertujuan menangani ketirisan dan penyelewengan yang mencecah nilai RM1.2 bilion dalam tempoh lima tahun kebelakangan ini serta memastikan subsidi berkenaan sampai kepada golongan sasaran. Program itu mampu menjimatkan perbelanjaan kerajaan antara RM7 bilion hingga RM9 bilion.
Program rasionalisasi subsidi dijangka dilaksanakan pada September ini bagaimanapun ia dikatakan akan ditangguhkan sehingga November depan.
Menurut Ruslan, pihaknya mengharapkan penjelasan sama ada benar konsortium Maybank-Iris mengenakan caj 30 sen untuk satu transaksi dan pada masa yang sama menuntut kerajaan membayar perbelanjaan modal (capex) yang amat tinggi.
"Kami juga menuntut agar kerajaan tidak akan mengulangi kesilapan yang sama seperti yang dilakukan oleh konsortium Maybank-Iris apabila melaksanakan program rasionalisasi subsidi minyak untuk kali ini," katanya.
Ruslan's comment in TV3 is available at the link here at 34:30.
Iris Corporation was the PLC that created the MyKad with 8 application capability. Current MyKad is supplied by Datasonic.
There is no truth to the message gone viral in the Social Media What App that one has to change to a new MyKad to get the fuel subsidy. Datasonic should have the fuel card and all the 8 application capability imbedded in the MyKad chip.
Blogger paid by civil servant?
Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) president. Azwanddin Hamzah echoed the "Fotokopi Ekspres"issue and was reported by The Star on August 16th 2013. He alleged that there had been misuse of power by civil servants.
The letter of demand against TMI by the consortium was given coverage on TV3 dated August 18th here at 20:30 .
Subsequently, Azwandin was reported by Utusan Malaysia dated August 21st to accuse bloggers used for this "Fotokopi Ekspres"operation.
TV3 report on August 19 can be found here at 20:00.
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He alleged that the concerned bloggers are being fed information by civil servants. Surely it will not be this blog. However, no specific blog was mentioned. Surely not this blog who has raised the same issue against civil servants and GLCs using certain tenders as example.
The "Fotokopi Ekspres" issue took a new height when Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Dato Abdul Wahid Omar was being questioned again on "Fotokopi Ekspres" by Dato Zulkifli Nordin in a Utusan Malaysia report dated August 26th. Extract below:
26/08/2014
Abdul Wahid wajar jelaskan
Oleh SOFIAN BAHAROM
sofian.baharom@utusan.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR 25 Ogos - Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar diminta menjelaskan mengapa terdapat projek inisiatif swasta (PSI) ditender selepas kertas cadangan rasmi itu dihantar oleh syarikat swasta kepada Unit Perancangan Ekonomi (EPU).
Bekas Ahli Parlimen Kulim-Bandar Baharu, Datuk Zulkifli Noordin berkata, perkara itu berlaku selepas pihak swasta tersebut telah melalui proses pembentangan kepada Majlis Ekonomi, Jawatankuasa Polisi Fiskal dan Kabinet sendiri.
Katanya, selepas pembentangan itu, konsep cadangan PSI tersebut dipercayai telah dipersetujui.
"Jika ini benar, tindakan memanggil untuk tender sebarang projek PSI selepas melalui proses berkenaan akan terdedah kepada penyalahgunaan maklumat PSI tersebut apabila pihak 'fotokopi ekspres' akan mempergunakan proses tender ini.
"Perkara itu dilakukan untuk memberi ruang kepada pihak ketiga termasuk rakan mereka untuk menyertai tender secara 'pintu belakang' dengan menciplak kertas cadangan pihak PSI tersebut," katanya seperti dipetik dalam Buletin Utama TV3, malam ini.
The TV3 coverage can be found in the link here at 20:55.
To clarify, Zulkifli Nordin is no more the Vice President of Perkasa. It is no more his platform. He is more involved with other NGO now.