HIGHWAY AWARD TO UMNO MEN?

By : SHAZWAN MUSTAFA KAMAL

DATUK Seri Najib Razak owes Malaysians a personal explanation as to why a RM2.2 billion highway contract was awarded to companies linked to Umno lawyer Datuk Hafarizam Harun and the wife of former Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi, PKR said today.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar demanded the prime minister state whether the awarding of the lucrative contract to Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) to Emrail Sdn Bhd and Zabima Engineering Sdn Bhd was conducted via an open tender process, saying that details on the deal were very sketchy at the moment.

“Publicly state the reasons, basis, and criteria for the tender awarded to Zabima Engineering and Emrail. Who were the other parties considered, and was an open tender called to ensure public interest is protected?

“What are the complete terms of concession, toll rates and future profit sharing arrangements?” she said in a statement.

Nurul Izzah said it was the PM’s responsibility to clarify how did the award of concession to the two companies in accordance to his administration’s strategic reform initiatives.

Controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin yesterday alleged that former Chief Justice Zaki and Hafarizam, two key figures in the Perak constitutional crisis of 2009 were awarded the highway contract as a gift for helping Barisan Nasional (BN) topple Pakatan Rakyat in the northern state.

Hafarizam is a director in both firms while Zaki’s wife, Toh Puan Nik Sazlina Mohd Zain, is a director in Emrail.

Hafarizam confirmed the award today but said that any suggestion of a deal struck because of his role in the Perak constitutional crisis in 2009 was “tainted with mala fide (bad faith) and intended to bring me and Tun Zaki into public odium, scandal and disrepute.”

Nurul Izzah also urged current Chief Justice Tan Sri Ariffin Zakaria to order Zaki to declare, in writing, his and his family’s assets in light of the allegations.

‘As such, both individuals must be open to public scrutiny considering their involvement in the high-profile Perak takeover by BN, and the current entanglement they find themselves in the awarding of the RM 2.2 Billion Kinrara-Damansara Highway (KIDEX) concession,” she added.

The Edge Financial Daily had reported on February 17 that the government had called a tender for the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex).

The announcement mentioned that seven companies are bidding for the job, which includes Bina Puri, Mudajaya, and Pesona Metro Sdn Bhd.

“The tenders are just out and it is not certain yet on the tenure of the concession as the CA has not been finalised,” said a source.

The highway will link Kinrara and Pusat Bandar Damansara and will divert traffic on the LDP.

According to The Edge, the concession was suppose to be awarded to PLUS Expressways but Pesona Metro Sdn Bhd has been tipped as a frontrunner for the project.