Home minister: Labuan prison cost RM32.9mil

Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/118158 (By S Pathmawathy, 23/11/2009)

Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein today told the Dewan Rakyat that the construction cost of a new prison complex in Labuan is RM32.9 million. In a written reply, he said the cost was not RM79 million as mentioned by Federal Territories Minister Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin previously. Hishammuddin added that the prison will be able to accommodate 230 inmates.

He was responding to Segambut DAP MP Lim Lip Eng, who asked the home minister if it was appropriate to spend RM79 million of a facility that can only house 200 prisoners. The opposition parliamentarian also wanted to know why Labuan was chosen for the project.

"The construction of a prison is far different from the construction of an ordinary building because it requires high level safety and security," said the minister. "Therefore, the cost also includes getting building materials with security in mind such as iron bars, lock systems, security fences with 'anti-scaling' features," he added.

Five reasons why Labuan needs a prison

Furthermore, he said Labuan like any state needs its own prison for several reasons such as:

1. Prisoners from Labuan can undergo punishment in the state itself and not in Kota Kinabalu.

2. To make it easier for families to visit prisoners which is part of the rehabilitation process and in tandem with the concept of '1Malaysia'.

3. To smoothen the administration of justice by the Labuan court.

4. To lessen the cost to visit and accompany prisoners to distant locations.

5. To reduce the risk of escorting prisoners through sea travel.

The construction of the prison faced objection from the locals who feared that Labuan will be made to look like a 'penal island'. The Labuan prison is one of the four prison projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan. The rest are based in Seberang Perai in Penang, Perlis and Sungai Udang in Melaka. According to Bernama, Prisons Department director Jamil Salleh said the project will be carried out in two phases. Phase one will cost RM35 million and comprises staff quarters, recreation park, mosque, community hall and other facilities.

See related news http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=438371 & http://thestaronline.com/news/story.asp?file=/2009/9/6/nation/4662546&sec=nation
Lim Lip Eng: It was announced earlier by Federal Territories Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik that the proposed RM79 million Labuan prison complex with a capacity to hold 200 inmates will continue as planned despite strong protest from the locals. However, the Home Minister Hishammuddin is now giving contradicting figures. Which minister is telling the truth? Short-changed or price being jacked-up?

City Hall: There was no double billing

Lim Lip Eng has submitted the documents to Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission

Anwar Mohd Zain says the repair work was awarded to three contractors

Source: http://streets.nst.com.my/Current_News/Streets/Monday/Stories/20091123085325/Article/ By Noel Achariam

Kuala Lumpur: City Hall did not double bill a contract job to repair a collapsed drain in Jalan Gallagher, Bukit Tunku, as alleged by Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng. Lim had on Friday submitted two documents on an alleged double billing by City Hall amounting to RM186,000 to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)'s Federal Territory branch office. Lim had said on Friday that he suspected there might have been foul play and misappropriation of funds by City Hall. "The invoices are both identical except for one minor detail. One of the invoices states that rectification work was done at phase one and the other invoice states that work was done at phase three. "We are not sure if City Hall had made payment to two different contractors for only one job. We hope that this is not the case," he said.

When asked to comment, City Hall corporate communication director Anwar Mohd Zain said it had hired three different contractors to repair the drain, a rectification project that cost RM278,010. As City Hall can only give each contractor a contract not exceeding RM100,000, the work was awarded to three contractors, said Anwar. "The RM278,010 project cost was divided into three payments of RM92,670. That was the reason the project had to be done in phases," he said. The collapsed drain had caused a landslip in January. The residents in Jalan Gallagher had complained to City Hall about the landslip and collapsed drain in their area, said Anwar. "City Hall responded to the complaint and hired the contractors to rectify the problem. Work started on Jan 15 and ended on March 5," he said.
Copyright © Tech&U . New Straits Times Press Sdn.Bhd . All rights reserved.

Related news: Lim reports City Hall’s double-paid job to MACC

Segambut MP cries foul over alleged ‘double-paid’ DBKL job

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/44059-segambut-mp-cries-foul-over-alleged-double-paid-dbkl-job (By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal)

Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng lodged a complaint with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) about an alleged double-paid job worth about RM200,000 by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) contractors.

He told reporters that he was sent two documents pertaining to the case anonymously last Thursday. "An anonymous person passed these two documents to my office while I was in Parliament on Thursday. After carefully looking through the documents, I suspected there was some hanky-panky going on in this DBKL project." It is understood that the project involved construction work to repair a collapsed drain at Jalan Gallagher in Bukit Tunku. The same project was given to two different contractors at the same time. One was given a contract for Phase 1 while the other was given a contract for Phase 3 of the same project. "Everything, from the time frame of the job (Jan 15 to March 5, 2009), how many units, the material needed to complete the job, the amended claims... are all exactly the same except the name of the contractor and the phase," said Lim (picture). He said it appears that one job is being carried out by two different contractors, and payment is being made two times, with each contractor earning RM92, 670.96. The documents, which certified payments to both contractors, were signed by the deputy director of the Public Works Department (JKA) of DBKL. When asked whether he had called up DBKL to comment, Lim said he did not do so because he could not rule out foul play by DBKL. "I don't want to enquire with DBKL; this might alert them to do 'housekeeping' and they might tamper with documents." Lim also claimed that he had personally inspected the entire stretch of Jalan Gallagher, and could not locate the supposed "newly fixed longkang (drain)". "I did not see a new longkang, but what I did see was a collapsed longkang. I don't know whether this is the same (drain)," said Lim. A complaint has now been lodged with the MACC and an Encik Saiful, the officer-in-charge, has promised to investigate the matter. "I will give MACC two months. If there is no reply on their part by then, I will take further action," said Lim.
Later, when contacted by The Malaysian Insider, Saiful declined to comment on the case as he claimed to have no "authority" over the matter. "I have no comment on the case. Even my superior officer cannot comment because this case is still new, he has no knowledge of it," said the MACC officer.

Computer sets installed for all 222 MPs cost RM11,916 each

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/11/20/parliament/5147756&sec=parliament

(20/11/2009)

The new computer sets installed for MPs in the Dewan Rakyat cost RM11,916 each. In a written reply to Fong Po Kuan (DAP-Batu Gajah), Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Abdul Aziz said the touch screen computers cost RM11,233 each, including installation. An additional RM320 was paid for the keyboard, mouse and tilting bracket while an 80GB hard disk cost RM363. The computers were installed on Oct 19 for all 222 MPs, which brought the total bill to more than RM2.6mil.

At the Parliament lobby, Lim Lip Eng (DAP-Segambut) said the cost of the computers was exorbitant and handed out price lists from computer shops to prove his point. “The 80GB hard disk was phased out early this year. You can get a 160GB hard disk for RM150. “The keyboard and mouse are not branded and made in China. A Microsoft keyboard and mouse combo pack costs only RM55,” he said. Lim said Parliament could have instead invested in a simple laptop for MPs, which would cost only RM2,000 per unit.
Chong Chieng Jen (DAP-Bandar Kuching) said it boiled down to whether a proper tender was called for the purchase or if the procurement was done through direct negotiations without proper comparison of prices.

Shoot to kill order?

From right: Dato' Siva Subramaniam, YB M. Kulasegaran, Lim Lip Eng and at far left seated is YB V Sivakumar

On Nov 9, 5 youths, aged between 17 and 24, were killed in a police shootout in Klang.

Yesterday, DAP leaders submitted a memorandum to Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) urging the organisation to investigate if there is a 'shoot to kill' order when it comes to dealing with suspects.
Commissioner Dato' Siva Subramaniam accepted our memorandum and he promised to discuss the issue with the board of commissioners.