KUALA LUMPUR: Former transport minister Ong Tee Keat has come under fire over his remarks concerning the Automated Enforcement System (AES).
AES is a speed camera system scheduled to be implemented nationwide.
Tess Capital Sdn Bhd, the local company which cried foul for being sidelined over the RM700 million contract, said Ong was wrong on several points in his interview with FMT.
"He (Ong) said we are sore losers and we complained late but the reality is, I cried foul even before the live demonstration (part of the tender process) started,” said company director Zainal Abdul Ghani.
“I wrote an official letter to the then director-general of the Road Transport Department (RTD) Mustafa Abdul Rashid," he added.
In the FMT interview, Ong said he had dealt with the matter and found no reason to review the decision to award the contract to two companies.
He had also asked why the disgruntled companies did not complain earlier.
Zainal, an ex-finance ministry officer handling international government procurements, said based on his experience, he could sense the discrepancies even before the live demos were conducted.
"It is not true that we complained after a long time. In the first place, we have yet to be told of the results of the test (conducted in 2007)," he said.
"Many things indicated foul play; there was a lot of manoeuvring and manipulation. What they did was create their own test. Test protocols were not given to the tenderer. This was unusual.
“They tested the system based on our weaknesses and highlighted the good points of the ones they preferred. It is not a normal international practice," he said, adding that a test should be designed based on the proposal of the tenderers.
Integrity and accuracy not tested
Zainal said he believes that the importance of certain test categories was altered in order to ensure that the favoured companies made the cut.
"Why during the live demo you did not follow what you proposed? Why was there no briefing on the test protocals? Why are all these things not spelled out? That's because you can't manipulate it then," he added.
Zainal also lamented that the most important feature of the AES, which was integrity and accuracy, was not tested, but rather it was more focused on quantity.
"Does RTD simply want to commercialise this?" he asked.
Zainal said that Tess Capital was planning to lodge another report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
The company had in March lodged a report claiming abuse of power and "manipulation" by the RTD over the tender process but had yet to be updated on the status of investigation.
'Ong went half-way'
Meanwhile, Zainal also disputed Ong's statement that he had "dealt" with the matter.
"He said he has dealt with the matter. But he only discussed this issue on his side, rather than call a formal meeting with all the parties, including most importantly, the aggrieved parties.
“To me, Ong only went half-way; his attempt was half-cooked. If the transport ministry is really truthful and transparent, call all the tenderers back right now," he said.
In the FMT interview, Ong admitted there were complaints over the AES, alluding to accusations that the project was given to crony companies.
However, the former minister said he had reviewed the scores of the test and stood by his decision to follow his predecessor's (Chan Kong Choy) recommendation.
Sources said the deal was to be given to Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd and Commercial Circle (M) Sdn Bhd.
However, Tess Capital claimed that it was better equipped to deliver the AES with its own technology which was proven to be effective in Australia.
It claimed that the other two companies were only vendors relying on foreign technology which has caused some concerns elsewhere.
Subsequently, Ong's successor Kong Cho Ha confirmed that AES had been awarded to two companies, which he did not name .
He added that it would be implemented as soon as amendments are made to the Road Transport Act 1987.
The AES is made up of cameras installed at accident-prone areas and traffic light junctions. The devices can detect speeding vehicles and those who beat the red light. It was reported that under the second phase of the AES, computer chips will be implanted in licence plates of all vehicles.
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