Speech by Parliament Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary-General and MP for Tanjung, Lim Kit Siang, at the inaugurai meeting of the newly-elected DAP Federal Territory State Committee held at DAP FT Headquaters on Wednesday, 11th August 1993 at 8 p.m.
DAP calls on Mahathir to declare whether the Cabinet accepts or rejects the two recommendations of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee on the RM300 million Bukit Kiara Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club scandal
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, should declare whether the Cabinet accepts or rejects the two recommendations of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee on the RM300 million Bukit Kiara Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club scandal, namely:
That the Kuala Lumpur City Hall revoke the contract in view of the infringement by Syarikat Solarvest in inviting the public to be members of the KLGCC before the launching of the project; and
Referring the privatisation of the Bukit Kiara Golf Club to Anti-Corruption Agency for investigation.
These two recommendations were decided by the PAC at its meeting of June 11, 1993.
When I asked the Government’s stand on the PAC’s recommendations during the debate on the 1993 Supplementary Estimates in Parliament last month, the Deputy Finance Minister, Datuk Ghani Othman, in his reply on28th July 1993 gave the evasive answer that the Kuala Lumpur City Hall had to “to date not received the official decision of the PAC”.
Ghani Othman was technically right in that the PAC report was not tabled in Parliament until August 2, and that was also as a result of pressure by the DAP in Parliament and my public criticism of the PAC Chairman, Datuk Dr.Affifudin Omar, for falling to table a single PAC report since becoming Chairman.
Now, however, the Government, whether Cabinet or the Kula Lumpur City Hall, cannot claim that it is not aware of the official decision of the PAC that the DBKL should revoke its alienation of 365 acres of Bukit Kiara land for the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club and refer the privatisation of the land to the Anti-Corruption Agency for investigations as to whether there had been corrupt practices by DBKL officials – in particular by former DBKL Datuk Bandar, Tan Sri Elyas Omar.
More than a week had passed since the official tabling in Parliament of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee report on the Bukit Kiara Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club scandal, and Parliament, the people of Kuala Lumpur and the country have a right to know whether the Cabinet accepts or rejects the two recommendations made by the Public Accounts Committee.
I want to commend the Dap mp FOR Bukit Bintang, Wee Choo Keong, for exposing the Bukit Kiara Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club scandal in Parliament, resulting in a Parliamentary Accounts Committee examination into the scandal and its recommendation for the revocation of the alienation of the 365 acres and to bring in the Anti-Corruption Agency to investigation into possible corrupt practices in the privatisation process.
If not for Wee Choo Keong’s expose, the people of Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia would have been kept in the dark about the gross improrieties in the DBKL in the alienation of the 365 acres of Bukit Kiara land to a foreign company at give-away prices.
Wee Choo Keong is a first-term MP but he has been able to make significant contributions for Parliament to play its role to provide a check and balance against government excesses and abuses of power with his expose of various government scandals.
DP to consider legal action to stop the KLGCC from continuing with its work and operating as DBKL should revoke its agreement with Solarvest as decided by the PAC
Up to now, no minister or DBKL official had been able to justify the alienation of 365 acres of Bukit Kiara land in June 1991 to Siangapore company, Lum Chang Holdings Group for the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club Sdn.Bhd. at RM56,725 per acre – the same price the DBKL had paid the Federal Government for the land – without open tender, when the market price could be between RM500,000 to a million ringgit per acre. This means that the taxpayers would have lost over RM300 million just on the land premium alone.
I have studied the record of the verbatim proceedings of the PAC meeting into the Bukit Kiara KLGCC scandal on 11th June 1993, and I am shocked by various revelations.
The DBKL was represented at the PAC meeting of 11th June 1993 by the following DBKL officials：Datuk Bandar, Datuk Dr. Mazlan bin Ahmad, Ketua Pengarah Datuk Haji Nordin bin Haji Abdul Razak, Timbalan Bendahari, Kewangan Puan Foo Yoi Min, Pemangku Pengarah, Jabatan Undang-Undang Puan Rohayah binti Karim and Penolong Pengarah Penswastaan dan Usahasama, Puan Normah binti Malek.
Some of these revelations include:
The claim by Ketua Pengarah DBKL Nordin that DBKL alienated the 365 acres of Bukit Kiara land at RM56,725 per acres in accordance with the ‘guideline’ laid down by the Jawatankuasa Penasihat Projek Padang Golf chaired by Setiausha Bahagian Kementerian Kewangan which also comprised the former Datuk Bandar, Tan Sri Elyas Omar;
The revelation by Datuk Bandar Dr. Mazlan that if the agreement with Solarvest on KLGCC is revoked, Solarvest could claim compensation and damages not less than RM300 million although it had only paid RM20.7 million as land premium for the 365 acres of Bukit Kiara land;
The revelation that the Cabinet had reviewed the Bukit Kiara scandal and proposed a variation of the agreement to introduce five new elements:
(a) the reduction of the 96-year leasehold for the Bukit Kiara land to 60 years;
(b) an additional payment of RM25 million for the 39 acres used for resort chalets;
(c) the golf course to become a public golf course although the members of the public will have to play on a basis;
(d) help Malaysian golfers to allow it to be used as a training ground; and
(e) construction to be given to bumiputeras; and
The MCA MP for Seremban, Yim Chee Chong, was the only member of the PAC which opposed the PAC recommendations that the DBKL revoke the Bukit Kiara KLGCC agreement and refer the matter to the Anti-Corruption Agency.
It is shocking that the Datuk Bandar, Dr. Mazlan could inform the PAC that KLGCC could claim damage of RM300 million if the agreement is revoked although KLGCC had infringed a fundamental condition of the agreement, and when the KLGCC had only paid RM20.7 million for the land premium in 1991.
This is itself proof that the Bukit Kiara KLGCC scandal involved a magnitude in the region of RM300 million.
Despite the recommendations of the PAC report that DBKL revoke the agreement with KLGCC agreement, work on the KLGCC is in the advanced stage of completion and the clubhouse is expected to be ready in September.
The DAP is most unhappy with the lack of seriousness and respect shown by the DBKL to the PAC report and recommendations in not taking actions to revoke the KLGCC agreement and to stop all work on the KLGCC.
The DAP has decided to form a special committee headed by the DAP MP for Bukit Bintang, Wee Choo Keong, to consider what actions could be taken to get the DBKL to comply with the PAC recommendations and to stop KLGCC from continuing its operations.
DAP will also seriously consider the possibility of taking legal action to stop KLGCC as it should not continue to operate once the PAC has decided that DBKL should revoke its agreement with Syarikat Solarvest in connection with the KLGCC.