PKFZ: The next 'big fish' after Hari Raya and to come from Umno

Malaysia Chronicle

Speculation has intensified that after Hari Raya the next ‘big fish’ will be hauled up for RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone financial debacle, and this time it is learnt it will be someone senior from Umno.

Former Transport minister Ling Liong Sik was the first prominent political leader to have been arrested over PKFZ. Charges were pressed against him on July 30 for misleading the Cabinet on the project's land valuations. He has pleaded not guilty.

In the days that followed Ling's arrest, there were high expectations that Prime Minister Najib Razak would follow through with a long overdue promise to weed out corruption. But more than a month has passed and no one other than Ling has been brought in.

Ling Liong Sik's arrest shocked the nation

As a result, Najib’s already thinning credibility took further blows. He was accused of making decisions to manipulate the political situation at both Umno and BN to his advantage, rather than attempting to solve the endemic corruption in the country.

The Chinese community also saw in Ling’s arrest a stepping stone for Najib to placate the Umno grassroots while he went after several key leaders in the party that he regarded as obstacles to his career.

But Umno watchers deny the allegations and said the PM had to bide his time because the investigators were not ready.

“He may also have pulled back because he felt the timing was not to his advantage. He is extremely cautious but after Hari Raya, he will make his next move. It will be someone very senior in Umno even though he may not be so active in the party anymore. There will be a few others but it may not be all in one go,” a reliable source told Malaysia Chronicle.

Chan Kong Choy

Mat Tyson or Chan or Tiong

Names that have been bandied around include former Selangor mentri besar Muhammad Muhammad Taib, another former Transport minister Chan Kong Choy and Bintulu MP Tiong King Sing, whose firm Kuala Dimensi was the turnkey contractor which racked up the project's massive cost overruns.

Muhd Taib aka Mat Tyson

PKFZ is an ambitious integrated port development mooted during the Mahathir Mohamad administration. It took off in the early 2000s and Abdullah Badawi continued the project after Mahathir retired in 2003.

The scandal has been described as a true Malaysian power play of conflict of interests, weak project management and bad governance at the highest levels - all the way up to Mahathir and Badawi.

Tiong King Sing

Among the personalities named in an external auditor's report are two former transport ministers Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik (1986-2003) and Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy (2003-March 2008), former Minister of Housing and Local Government Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh, who was also Port Klang Authority chairman (2000-2004), former Serdang Member of Parliament Datuk Yap Pian Hon who was Port Klang Aurhority chairman (2004-2007), Alor Setar Member of Parliament Datuk Wira Chor Chee Heung, who was Port Klang Authority chairman (2007-2008), former UMNO treasurer Datuk Seri Azim Mohd Zabidi, the first woman general manager of Port Klang Authority Datin Paduka O.C.Phang and the project "executor" Bintulu Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.