Thesun 2009-04-30 Page01 Tell-all On Pkfz

Member of Audit Bureau of Circulations (Malaysia)

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No. 4749 PP 2644/12/2009 (023092)

Thursday April 30, 2009

TELLING IT AS IT IS

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cooked food. Mexico and the US are the only countries with reported deaths – 159 in Mexico and a child in Texas. More than 1,300 people were in hospitals in Mexico, some “seriously” ill, out of around 2,500 suspected cases. The number of confirmed cases in the US also rose to 91 in 10 states.

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» More reports Page 4 » Virus may mutate to deadlier threat page 14 EPAPIC

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tional airports and providing health alert cards and health declaration forms. Designating 28 hospitals as quarantine centres, especially the Sungai Buloh and Klang hospitals, to receive suspected swine flu cases. Getting ready a rapid team to respond to an outbreak. Liow reiterated that as of 2.30pm yesterday, there had not been cases of influenza-like illness with symptoms of swine flu in Malaysia. He said Malaysia was well-equipped

with anti-viral jabs to treat more than two million people at any one time in case of an outbreak. Nine stock centres had also been directed to be on standby to distribute Tamiflu and Relenza anti-viral jabs for those with symptoms of swine flu. “Although Malaysia is safe, it (the swine flu) is dangerous and we can’t take any chances. The WHO has given a Phase Four classification for the outbreak, which means it now spreads from human to human,” he said. Liow assured the public they will be kept informed of the situation. He said the public could continue to eat pork because the virus could not spread via consumption of well-

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PUTRAJAYA: Don’t panic over the swine flu outbreak, which has affected several countries, but stay on high alert for symptoms of the illness, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai. He said only one person had so far been placed under “strict observation” at Sungai Buloh Hospital, which had been designated a referral centre for swine flu. The ministry’s director-general, Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican, confirmed

double dosage of vaccines.

» Advising all medical facilities to monitor “influenza-like” illness. » Screening passengers at interna-

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by Tim Leonard [email protected]

in a statement later the patient was not infected with the A/H1N1 swine influenza virus. He said virological tests conducted on the patient proved he did not have swine flu. Liow told a press conference at his office here yesterday the ministry was carrying out all the necessary measures to ensure the country remains safe. These measures include: Providing flu jabs for some 200,000 front-liners (Immigration, police and medical personnel) at 125 entry and exit points in the next one to two weeks at a cost of RM7 million. Giving pigs in some 778 farms

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Swine flu: Don’t panic, but stay alert

Tell-all on PKFZ K

UALA LUMPUR: The audit report on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project that sparked a public outcry over a massive RM4.6 billion soft loan given by the government will be made public within a week. It will be substantiated by declassified documents. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said yesterday he had ordered the Port Klang Authority (PKA) to release the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report which was commissioned last May after explanations by his predecessor, Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy, failed to satisfy the public. Ong, who has extended the service of Datuk Lee Hwa Beng as PKA chairman for a second term, said in his blog Lee was given one week from yesterday to make public the tell-all report. PKFZ, owned by PKA, was conceptualised as a regional hub for export and transshipment of manufactured goods. It’s original cost of RM1.85 billion ballooned to RM4.6 billion, creating a scandal that has raged for many years. theSun columnist R. Nadeswaran had, in a previous column, said that behind the massive expenditure was an “intrigue of family deals, demands, interference by

politicians and government officers with vested interests, attempts at tax evasion and gigantic cost over-runs”. Business weekly The Edge had reported that the total cost of the project may go up to RM8 billion, due to interest charges. Ong said he had directed PKA to commission an independent and credible firm to look into PKFZ and the delay in completing the report was due to several technical issues, including the declassification of key government documents related to the investigations. “Now that the report is ready, it is only natural that PKA, which commissioned the report, release the findings. After which, I contemplate submitting the report to the MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) and the Public Accounts Committee,” he said. In a statement, Lee confirmed that the report had been completed, “including the declassification of pertinent documents related to the report”. He thanked the relevant ministries, government bodies and agencies for the co-operation extended to PKA and PWC in the tedious exercise and that the PKA and PWC were now working on the final details for the public release of the report.

He said he had received “strict and clear instructions” from Ong to push for “nothing less than a full accounting of the PKFZ issue for the public”. “I will facilitate the process and ensure that the matter is properly resolved so that PKFZ can move forward,” he said. Lee said there had been no attempt by the ministry or PKA to delay or stop the release of the report. “It is the PKA that commissioned the report and, likewise, the onus to declassify the documents also rested with our port authority. The delay has not been significant given the nature and volume of the documents involved,” he said. In August 2007, Chan had denied allegations the project was a failure and there was hanky-panky involved. He told the Dewan Rakyat the PKFZ started operations only in November 2006 and had attracted investments totalling about RM725 million and offering 809 jobs. The PKFZ takes up nearly 1,000 acres bought at RM1.088 billion. Chan had said the overall cost, taking into account land acquisition and infrastructure, interest cost, deferred payment, professional fee and work changes limited to 20%, would be RM4.632 billion.

A mockery ... Independent candidate Naresh Singh Bhadauriya, from Uttar Pradesh, makes a victory sign, during his election campaign in Amritsar, yesterday. Mocking corrupt politicians, Bhadauriya who is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Amritsar, appealed to the people to vote for him so that once elected, he could loot the country. He said that this is the time when he would gladly clean their drains and pick up buffalo dung but once elected he will not recognise them and will turn all his energy to accumulating money by way of corruption. Talking to the media, he added that if he wants to save the country, he has to fight the corrupt system and politicians who are worse than eunuchs.