Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang today demanded for the committee stage of Supply Bill 2008 debate on Transport Ministry to be postponed until the transport minister returns from his foreign visit next week.

At a press conference held at the Parliament lobby today, an irate Lim said that Transport Minister Chan Kong Choy was on the run from parliament to escape accountability on the RM4.6 billion PKFZ scandal.

Bernama reported yesterday that Chan has left for London to attend the 25th International Maritime Organisation (IMO) assembly and will not be back until later next week.

Lim described Chan's visit as "most irresponsible" because he would still be in London when his ministry is scheduled to wind up the debate on Thursday or the latest by next Monday.

"Chan knows PKFZ scandal will feature prominently in the debate as for the past three months of the parliament sitting, no satisfactory answer had been given to the many issues and questions raised about the scandal," he said.

"Last Monday, I had protested that government ministers were kicking the issue from one ministry to another, evading accountability by refusing to give a direct answer to many pertinent questions I had posed," he added.

Answerable to parliament

"When pressed on the issue when the Finance Ministry was winding up the debate, the ministry's parliamentary secretary Hilmi Yahaya asked that he be allowed to give a written reply.

"More than week has passed and I have yet to receive any written reply from Hilmi, while Chan has run away to London on pretext of attending the assembly."

Lim reminded Chan that while his international commitments are important, they should not be allowed to overshadow his responsibilities to parliament and Malaysians.

He said Chan would be nothing in the IMO assembly if not for his position as the transport minister.

"This is why he must not forget his roots by running away from his primary responsibilities to parliament and Malaysian taxpayers to evade answer and accountability," he said.

"If he (Chan) feels that it is important to attend the assembly, he could easily ask for the winding up of debate to be changed to a later date when he's back from London."

Lim also said that he had written a protest note to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz, who is in charge of parliamentary affairs, over the absence of Chan.

Over-priced project

"I have asked for the winding-up debate by the Transport Ministry should be stood down until Chan has come back from London to face the music over the PKFZ scandal."

Chan's role in the grossly overpaid PKFZ project included issuing letters of support to contractor Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd to raise RM4 billion bonds.

The minister had no such powers to issue financial guarantees committing the government, as it could only be issued by the Finance Minister after cabinet approval.

After a litany of complaints ranging from mismanagement and inflated financial costs, the government said that it would give a soft loan to Port Klang Authority to ensure the success of the PKFZ project.


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