Deputy minister sidesteps call to reveal 101 direct-tender projects

PARLIAMENT | Deputy Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri sidestepped a call to reveal the list of 101 projects that were awarded contracts through direct negotiations during Pakatan Harapan's time in government.

Instead, Rahim (above) defended direct tenders and said this was only an issue because Harapan had allegedly promised to stop practising the method in giving out project contracts.

The matter arose when Saifuddin Nasution Ismail (Harapan-Kulim Bandar Bharu) called on the government to reveal the list of 101 projects, which he said was not a difficult thing to do.

"It can be done in 24 hours, with the entire strength and infrastructure of the Finance Ministry this is an easy question to solve," Saifuddin said in an additional query during oral questions.

Rahim replied: "Direct tenders are allowed in our procurement procedures, it is only an issue because Harapan, in its manifesto, said it would ensure there were no more direct tenders."

He added that it showed the principle of competency, accountability and transparency, was not fully practised.

On Monday, Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz told Parliament that 101 projects worth RM6.61 billion in total were approved by the Finance Ministry through direct negotiations under the former Harapan administration.

This prompted calls for Zafrul to reveal details on the matter, including from former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former finance minister Lim Guan Eng.

Lim claimed that the list would expose some of the current Perikatan Nasional leaders, including Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, who had pushed for those direct-award contracts in the past.

It is worth noting that the Harapan manifesto does not actually say it will stop direct tenders.

Instead, it said that it would ensure open tenders were used extensively especially for large projects, and that the procurement and tendering system would be reviewed.

Earlier, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PAS-Pasir Mas) asked the Finance Ministry to reveal the names of donors to Tabung Harapan, to ensure there was no conflict of interest in relation to the 101 projects.

Rahim, however, said that this data could not be divulged as it was protected under the Personal Data Protection Act and the Financial Services Act.