Two years of waiting for OC Phang

By Jeff Ooi

Screenshots outed OC Phang as early as August 13, 2007, when theSun first exposed the PKFZ Scandal.

Today, she was called in by the Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for queries.

PAC chairperson Azmi Khalid has this to sum up about the woman: "She doesn't even know what we mean by cash flow projection."

Azmi said the financial management of Phang and her team were 'weak and poor', and that no cash flow projection was made for the project.

"Such a projection could have ensured there was enough income to repay the loan," Azmi said.

Malaysians should know that OC Phang has been the general manager of the Port Klang Authority since 1997, during the time retired MCA chief Ling Liong Sik was the Minister of Transport.

Her position as the Chairman of Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) was also appointed by the Minister of Transport.

OC Phang, however, "retired" last year when the PKFZ Scandal really blew up.

She was succeeded in June 2008 by lawyer Lim Thian Shiang, who was tasked to oversee the management of the controversial PKFZ project as a going concern.

However, Lim was later removed in shrouded mystery in the midst of the PKA making final preparations to release a detailed report on the PKFZ Scandal.

The Edge Financial Daily reported May 20, 2009, quoting sources, that Lim had a falling out with Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat on several issues related to PKFZ. Quote:

“A few weeks ago PKFZ gave a briefing to Barisan Nasional (BN) backbenchers on the project."

"It is said that the briefing was held without approval from the higher-ups. There were also several other instances which have caused some differences in opinion between Lim and ministry officials,” said the source.

The present PKA general manager is Kee Lian Yong.

Jafza pull-out

The role of OC Phang on the PKFZ Scandal first hit the headlines when award-winning investigative journalists R. Nadeswaran and Terence Fernandez ran the expose.

According to theSun in 2007, OC Phang was the key person at PKFZ when Dubai-based Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) decided to pull out of the management of PKFZ for "strategic purposes", but in an acrimonious manner. Quote:

Noel Gulliver, Jafza's man acting as PKFZ general manager, was escorted from his office to the Immigration Department for "being in gainful employment without a work permit" - although the agreement between Jafza and Port Klang Authority (PKA) indicates that it is PKA's responsibility to obtain a permit for Gulliver.

theSun quoted an e-mail from Gulliver to Jafza International senior vice-president (international operations) Chuck Heath last October 30, stating that Phang had given him (Gulliver) three months to "toe the line", ordering Gulliver to report to PKFZ and not Jafza.

theSun had cited a host of documents, which include strongly-worded e-mails, revealing that Jafza bailed out because of bureaucracy, interference by politicians and others with vested interests, and deliberate incorrect minuting of meetings.

"The dossier, which borders on deceit and lies, points the cause of the collapse of the deal between Jafza and PKFZ at the government machinery and one woman, O.C. Phang," theSun says.

PKA wants MACC probe on OC Phang's ties

August 26, 2009, OC Phang was named, among four parties, responsible for the PKFZ Scandal in a report lodged with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) by Port Kelang Authority (PKA) chairman, Lee Hwa Beng.

Lee said PKA had requested MACC to investigate OC Phang, and the relationship between Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), its President/CEO Tiong King Sing, BTA Architect and/or Bernard Tan Seng Swee as the Consultant appointed for the development works in the PKFZ Project, and OC Phang.

Lee stated that, based on the instances set out in his report, PKA has strong reason to believe that there is a possible conspiracy between these 5 parties.

As for Malaysians at large, we are anxious to know whether OC Phang acted entirely on her own, or just a lame chess piece dictated by her masters?

Critical sideshow

As a sideshow, KDSB and the current Transport Minister, MCA president Ong Tee Keat, are embroiled over a RM10 million political fund, exposed on August 12, that went unaccounted for between the donor and the supposed recipient.

Malaysiakini today reported the details of the RM10 million political fund purportedly contained in a police reported lodged on August 26 by KDSB's Tiong King Sing.

According to the police report, said Malaysiakini, the money was delivered to Ong on three different occasions, amounting to RM5 million, RM1 million and RM4 million respectively.

The dispatch points were at the Petaling Jaya Hilton, the car park opposite Armada Hotel, Petaling Jaya, and at Carcosa Sri Negara, respectively.

However, we haven't seen any action from MACC on Lee's request for investigation on OC Phang, or the roping in of Ong over Tiong's allegations.

Perhaps, MACC is too busy with efforts to overthrow the Selangor state government right now.

Or there are two sets of law for Malaysians. They and us.