The opposition, which is gearing up for a debate on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, is likely to end up shadow boxing when Parliament sitting resumes on Monday.
This is because embattled Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat will be off to France on a seven-day official visit beginning today.
Ong's press officer told Malaysiakini that the minister, who will return to Malaysia next Saturday, will be missing out on the parliamentary debate next week.
"Even after the minister has returned from the official trip, he will need to check his schedule to see if he can attend Parliament," he said.
The coming session will be short - Parliament will only be sitting for two weeks from July 15 to 30.
But expect fireworks to fly as this will be the first parliamentary session after Najib Abdul Razak took over as new prime minister as well as the power grab in Perak by Barisan Nasional.
Ousted Perak menteri besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin (right in photo) will be sworn in as Bukit Gantang parliamentarian on Monday morning. He won the seat in a by-election on April 7, a week after Najib took power.
It is expected that DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang will be raising the PKFZ issue in the House.
Since the released of the PKFZ audit report, Lim has been relentlessly hounding Ong for answers.
According to the PKFZ report, the project has ballooned from RM1.96 billion, when the free-trade zone was conceived in 2001, to a staggering RM7 billion and is likely to cost RM12 billion as a result of interest payments.
Tiong: I did not ‘makan duit rakyat’
Three top politicians have been named in the report done by international audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers - two for possible conflict of interest involving the controversial project.
The trio are Deputy Finance Minister Chor Chee Heung, Backbenchers Club chairperson and Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing and Semanta state assemblyperson Abdul Rahman Palil.
Tiong (left) is also chief executive officer of Wijaya Baru Holding Sdn Bhd (WBHSB) - the parent company of the Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, the key contractor for the multi-billion-ringgit project.
When contacted, Tiong said he was “not scared” of the upcoming debate and will definitely be attending the parliamentary sitting.
"I did no wrong. I am not a murderer nor a thief. I did not ‘makan duit rakyat’ (pocket public money). Why should I be afraid to attend the session?" asked Tiong.
He also accused the Transport Ministry for not clarifying the scandal.
I’ll sue, Tiong warns Lim
When asked whether Ong’s absence will mean that he is now the main target of opposition’s attack, Tiong laughed, "If they (the opposition) want to come, let them come. I don’t fear of them."
Tiong, a multi-millionaire politician, reiterated that his company did not commit any wrongdoing in the PKFZ deal and warned Lim against hurling allegations at him.
"I will sue Lim for defamation if he makes baseless allegations against me," said Tiong.
However, Lim (right) will be protected by parliamentary immunity, something which the opposition will seek to exploit next week.
Malaysiakini
13/06/09
This is because embattled Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat will be off to France on a seven-day official visit beginning today.
Ong's press officer told Malaysiakini that the minister, who will return to Malaysia next Saturday, will be missing out on the parliamentary debate next week.
"Even after the minister has returned from the official trip, he will need to check his schedule to see if he can attend Parliament," he said.
The coming session will be short - Parliament will only be sitting for two weeks from July 15 to 30.
But expect fireworks to fly as this will be the first parliamentary session after Najib Abdul Razak took over as new prime minister as well as the power grab in Perak by Barisan Nasional.
Ousted Perak menteri besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin (right in photo) will be sworn in as Bukit Gantang parliamentarian on Monday morning. He won the seat in a by-election on April 7, a week after Najib took power.
It is expected that DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang will be raising the PKFZ issue in the House.
Since the released of the PKFZ audit report, Lim has been relentlessly hounding Ong for answers.
According to the PKFZ report, the project has ballooned from RM1.96 billion, when the free-trade zone was conceived in 2001, to a staggering RM7 billion and is likely to cost RM12 billion as a result of interest payments.
Tiong: I did not ‘makan duit rakyat’
Three top politicians have been named in the report done by international audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers - two for possible conflict of interest involving the controversial project.
The trio are Deputy Finance Minister Chor Chee Heung, Backbenchers Club chairperson and Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing and Semanta state assemblyperson Abdul Rahman Palil.
Tiong (left) is also chief executive officer of Wijaya Baru Holding Sdn Bhd (WBHSB) - the parent company of the Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, the key contractor for the multi-billion-ringgit project.
When contacted, Tiong said he was “not scared” of the upcoming debate and will definitely be attending the parliamentary sitting.
"I did no wrong. I am not a murderer nor a thief. I did not ‘makan duit rakyat’ (pocket public money). Why should I be afraid to attend the session?" asked Tiong.
He also accused the Transport Ministry for not clarifying the scandal.
I’ll sue, Tiong warns Lim
When asked whether Ong’s absence will mean that he is now the main target of opposition’s attack, Tiong laughed, "If they (the opposition) want to come, let them come. I don’t fear of them."
Tiong, a multi-millionaire politician, reiterated that his company did not commit any wrongdoing in the PKFZ deal and warned Lim against hurling allegations at him.
"I will sue Lim for defamation if he makes baseless allegations against me," said Tiong.
However, Lim (right) will be protected by parliamentary immunity, something which the opposition will seek to exploit next week.
Malaysiakini
13/06/09
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