Uncovering a can of worms?
But why would a PKR crown jewel in Selangor be set into stormy seas with Khalid solo at the rudder? And left at the mercy of the winds and waves? Isn’t Selangor a prized possession for PKR? Isn’t Selangor a lucrative trump card for the opposition? Where are the backers?
Fabiani Azmi
PKR’s crown jewel in Selangor appears to be under assault. In the past week, more dirt has been dug out of the marshlands. Sunday Star Joceline Tan writes that MB Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim is left to sail the stormy waters solo on matters affecting the state. Why would the Selangor Economic adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, its CEO Rafizi Ramli and even popcorn enthusiast Azmin Ali stay clear from the debacle in absolute abandon? It does not make sense.
Perhaps the answer lies in what the President of the Pertubuhan Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM), Azwandin Hamzah said in Mingguan Malaysia last Sunday. He questioned Khalid if he dared expose the individuals involved in the illegal profiting of the RM181 million land acquisition in the Talam saga. It was overpaid by RM100 million. There is more than meets the eye. With a can opener in hand, Fabiani Azmi investigates ..
It all makes for an interesting drama but the crook in the plot is not Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim. The conspirators who engineered the Talam deal had always wanted Khalid out of the picture from the beginning. As Joceline rightly points out, several attempts were made to oust Khalid as early as 2009. The anti-Khalid faction had flirted with the idea of Anwar contesting a by-election but Anwar was not keen. Anwar had his eye on the bigger prize and thought the MB’s post was below him. Then, they toyed on the idea of fielding Azmin. To avoid factional splits, PKR President Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is now being touted for the MB’s position.
But why would a PKR crown jewel in Selangor be set into stormy seas with Khalid solo at the rudder? And left at the mercy of the winds and waves? Isn’t Selangor a prized possession for PKR? Isn’t Selangor a lucrative trump card for the opposition? Where are the backers?
Until his recent sudden resignation in June, Rafizi was essentially the chief economist of Selangor in his capacity as CEO of the Office of the State Economic Adviser. Whatever Rafizi’s reason behind relinquishing the post, one just does not resign a position of that magnitude and high pay, for some petty reason. His strategic position would have involved him in the major affairs of the state. And certainly, Rafizi would have had a foremost role in most major economic undertakings. The Talam deal of RM392 million would certainly be his doing as it represented a hefty sum and a complexity that would have required his deft accounting skills.
Reporters, we are told, have been after him for comments but Rafizi is doing a Pontius Pilate on Khalid and Selangor – he has washed his hands off the issue.
One can take a strong hint that the questionable Talam restructuring deal is extremely suspect. Those who had a hand in it might have profited from the re engineering to the tune of RM100 million. Steering away in the hope of avoiding calamitic revelations is not an option for Anwar, Azmin and Rafizi – the three musketeers who all surely had a sly and skilful hand in the felonious undertaking. It piques one’s enquiring mind as to why the three have remained silent in all this. Would this be a mega billion Ringgit expose?
To distract, the musketeers now encourage the likes of Tony Pua and Elizabeth Wong to quickly stage debates to downplay the impact when even the five audit firms have yet to unravel the true complexity of the Talam saga.
There exists a web of deceit that calls for the experts at MACC, the SC, Bursa and the police to expertly investigate. Much has been reported and exposed in the media to warrant a full investigation. The MCA has provided a wealth of information to probe. MCA Young Professionals Bureau chief Datuk Chua Tee Yong had recently asked how an exercise to recover RM392 million in debts from Talam led to deals worth more than RM1 billion.
Consumers Association of Subang and Shah Alam (Cassa) president Jacob George said, “A decision by the state government to appoint audit firms to review Talam Corporation’s debt restructuring exercise misses the point of public interest in this case.
“This is not a technical dispute. This is a matter that concerns the rakyat. The people want to know if there were irregularities, and the Pakatan Rakyat should let the people be the judge since it claims to champion transparency, accountability and zero tolerance for corruption.”
Let the protagonist Rafizi Ramli surface to explain the truth in the matter. Let he not run away, or misrepresent and distort the facts. His NFCorp BAFIA fiasco has already seen an investigation brought on by Bank Negara Malaysia. His expose on the Ampang LRT project has seen the team at Bukit Aman initiate investigations under the Official Secrets Act. Do we need more in the questionable Talam deal to provide the catalytic spark for the authorities?
The authorities have been fast to investigate NFCorp and to charge. The same speed is demanded on the opposition. Let there be no double standards. The opposition is not necessarily squeaky clean.
Who will have the first crack at the whip?
About the Writer
Fabiani Azmi is an avid reader of blogs including Malaysia Today. He believes equations are simple to solve. One plus two certainly equals three. He also believes you have to work fast during this month of fast.
