KANGAR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) early statement clearing any wrongdoing in the awarding of the Demand Responsive Transit (DRT) pilot project contract by the Selangor government, involving the husband of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, has raised doubts about the current government's transparency.
Pas vice-president Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah expressed surprise over the MACC's quick denial of any wrongdoing in the contract award.
"That's the issue. When Pakatan Harapan (PH) was not in power, they criticised the Barisan Nasional (BN) government on various issues like nepotism and cronyism.
"However, now that they are in power, they are engaging in wrongful acts and feel no guilt about them. They should restrain themselves from committing these wrongdoings.
"Additionally, we were shocked by the MACC's early statement claiming there was no wrongdoing, which raises questions. I believe the public is watching and questioning how well PH can meet their expectations in the future," he said in a press conference today.
Amar, who is Kelantan deputy Menteri Besar, said the reforms touted by the current government are far removed from their past actions.
"It's not just because we are the opposition that we speak this way, but the reforms the government claims to uphold are not aligned with their past actions.
"They are repeating the mistakes of the BN government. Even if they claim to follow procedures, it's different from their previous criticisms. There should be no personal or familial interests involved," he said.
He claimed that the situation involving Yeoh's husband clearly represents a conflict of interest.
"It's hard to believe there's only one company capable of doing the job. Surely, there are other companies available.
"This is a clear conflict of interest, similar to when they criticised (Tan Sri) Shahrizat Abdul Jalil over the Feedlot cow issue, and this is even worse," he said.
Previously, it was reported that the Selangor government defended the appointment of Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd for its Selangor Mobility initiative.
State Investment, Trade, and Mobility Committee chairman Ng Sze Han said that Asia Mobility was one of two companies selected for the DRT pilot project, alongside Badan Bas Coach Sdn Bhd with both companies approved by the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad).
On Monday, the MACC said there was no issue in the award of a contract to Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd - a firm linked to Yeoh's husband.
MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said this is because the Selangor Mobility initiative contract was not awarded to the company by Yeoh's ministry but the Selangor government.
