Yang Berhormat Nor Mohamed Yakcop,

Congratulations on your appointment. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi made an excellent decision to get a professional such as yourself to help him steer our country onto the most prosperous path. Certain opposition leaders have questioned your preparedness to accept the principles and responsibilities of public accountability.

However, I believe that this doubting is misplaced and that your appointment is fully in keeping with the spirit of our bi-cameral parliamentary system. One of the main strengths of having the Dewan Negara is the fact that professionals like you can join cabinet without being compromised by party politics.

Nevertheless, as a senator you are of course a member of parliament and as a cabinet minister you will share in the collective accountability of the running of the country. In this regard may I add my voice those who have asserted their confidence in your ability to take on the many challenges that face the Treasury. Perhaps foremost among these challenges is the question of going ahead with the Mahathir-era 'mega-projects'.

One of the most controversial of these projects is the Bakun Dam. Before you joined it, the cabinet decided to proceed with Bakun because the work on constructing the dam was already underway. How would you view this reasoning from an economic point of view? Is the fact that money was already spent a valid reason to continue that spending?

Abdullah has appealed to us all to tell him the truth. The facts in the Bakun case are quite clear: we don't need the extra electricity and flooding the forest carries a huge opportunity cost. Last year, electricity supply in Sarawak exceeded demand by 17 percent. Bakun would flood an area larger than the size of Singapore. When you professionally analyse the economic costs and benefits of mega-projects such as Bakun, the nation is counting on you for the clear-cut apolitical truth.