SHAH ALAM, August 22: The Umno-BN Government’s move to flip-flop on several issues involving using the people’s money is seen as being deliberately done to enable Umno-BN leaders to funnel profits to cronies.
This includes the recent announcement by the government that plans to acquire the Automated Enforcement System AES) operations as announced by the Deputy Minister of Transport, Sri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein yesterday.
Member of Parliament for Sungai Petani, Datuk Johari Abdul said that it is possible that the government has already planned the AES acquisition operations before the speed-trap camera system began its operations last year.
Johari believes that the government’s move came from the response of objections made by the people and the opposition.
He also expects that the acquisition will involve the flow of about RM1 billion in government funds to two of the companies that operate the AES, this adversely affecting the people.
“This is not a ‘flip-flop’ policy, but it was ‘designed’ to ‘flip-flop’ because projects like this require proper governance, in-depth studies involving academics, as well as response from related associations.
“But this is not the case in Malaysia. The government is more interested in giving projects to cronies who come up with various proposals, and when it fails in its implementation or receive resistance, the government will then take back the project with a high compensation fee.
“Therefore, this seems to be deliberately designed. They know that it will receive objection from the people and the opposition, and eventually the problem will supposedly be resolved with a payment to the private sector,” said Johari when contacted by TVSelangor today.
Johari said that a number of projects from the private sector has previously been acquired by the government includes Indah Water Konsortium, MAS, and the Teaching and Learning of Science and Mathematics in English (PPSMI).
“It was the same during Tun Dr Mahathir’s era too, first to implement the PPSMI then eventually revert back to the Malay Language and caused us a loss of almost RM6 billion in printing costs for textbooks and so on.
“This policy was detrimental to the people and in this AES issue, it should be stopped altogether instead of the government acquiring it,” added Johari.
Johari added that this issue will be raised by the opposition in the next session of the House of Representatives.
After the Economic Council meeting which was chaired by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak yesterday, Hishamuddin said that the government is considering to acquire the entire operation and enforcement of the AES from its current operators.
