2 theSun | WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5 2009

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TOMORROW!

Royal Commission only The

sequence
has to be
right ... the
inquest

CONVERSATIONS
There is still a long way to go for
after inquest, says Najib first.”
– Najib

women in politics here. But the
environment now is conducive.
– Kelana Jaya MCA chief Ong
Chong Swen
PEKAN: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib
Razak said yesterday the Royal Commis-
sion of Inquiry to study the interrogation
methods of the Malaysian Anti-Corrup-
tion Commission (MACC) would only
begin its work after the inquest into the
death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock is
completed.
He said the inquest into Teoh’s death
to the Selangor MACC on the 14th floor
of the building.
The investigation by MACC was into
the alleged misuse of state allocations
by a number of Selangor state executive
councillors and assemblymen.
On the statement by Communication
Information and Culture Minister Datuk
Seri Dr Rais Yatim that several people
ters that would give significant impact on
the Ecer economy:
» high-value manufacturing, agro-
based industry;
» gas and petrochemical;
» tourism/real estate; and
» knowledge/education and ICT as
well as logistiscs.
The zones make up only 6% of the total

briefs
Guard and pathologists
to testify today
SHAH ALAM: The inquest into the death
of Teoh Beng Hock, which was postponed
last week, resumes today.
Several witnesses who had been sub-
poenaed earlier are expected to provide
testimony before coroner Azmil Muntapha
Abas.
Among those expected to be called
today are the security guard who found
Teoh’s body, and pathologists handling the
case. Forensic experts and more than 20
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission
(MACC) officers and men are due to testify
on Friday or next Monday.
A total of 77 witnesses have been
was going on and all quarters must wait
Kugan’s for it findings.
mum “We have to go through the inquest first
as it will identify the causes of (Teoh’s)
fails to death, and after that the Royal Commis-
get back sion of Inquiry will look at the MACC’s
evidence procedures and take into consideration
the findings of the inquest. The sequence
pg 4 has to be right ... the inquest first,” he told
reporters when asked about the latest de-
velopments on the Royal Commission.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani
Patail had said the members of the com-
mission would be announced soon.
Najib had announced the Royal Com-
mission on July 22 to investigate the
interrogation methods used by MACC
when they questioned Teoh.
Teoh, 30, was found dead on the 5th
floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam
after he gave his statement as a witness
who took part in Saturday’s anti-ISA ille-
gal rally in Kuala Lumpur had been hired
by certain quarters to do so, Najib said the
police were investigating the claim.
“It’s up to the police to act. They have
to look at the laws and the extent of the
individuals’ involvement in the illegal
rally,” he said.
Earlier, Najib launched the East Coast
Economic Region’s Special Economic
Zone (Ecer SEZ) and the Pekan agropoli-
tan project in Runchang, near here.
He said Ecer SEZ is expected to cre-
ate more than 220,000 job opportunities
and attract RM90 billion in domestic
and international investments by 2020.
It is the first special economic zone in
Malaysia.
Najib said four free zones would be
created in Ecer SEZ to encourage and
promote chains between industry clus-
Ecer area, but has a big economic impact,
including its capacity to contribute 50% of
the job opportunities compared to Ecer as
a whole, and contribute 80% of the eco-
nomic products for the whole of Ecer.
Najib said, Kuantan Port would also be
upgraded and expanded so that it would be
capable of handling more than 30 million
metric tonnes of cargo annually by 2020
from 16.8 million metric tonnes now.
It would also be able to play its roles as
a major port in the East Coast and a trade
gateway for the Asia Pacific market.
Najib also announced that the Ecer
Development Council had kicked off
the agropolitan project – an integrated
development project whose main objec-
tive is to eradicate poverty among local
residents. – Bernama
» More on Ecer SEZ on Page 14

We did nothing wrong: Projass

subpoenaed to provide testimony in the
inquest. Fifteen days have been set aside
for the proceedings. – Bernama

No apology to Anwar, by Llew-Ann Phang and Eva Yeong
says Muhyiddin newsdesk@thesundaily.com
PUTRAJAYA: Deputy Prime Minister Tan PETALING JAYA: There was no failure in the
Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said yesterday he outsourcing project of the rehabilitation and
has received a letter from Datuk Seri maintenance of mini-hydro stations in the
Anwar Ibrahim’s lawyer demanding an peninsula, Projass Engineering Sdn Bhd said
apology or damages of RM100 million yesterday, in clarifying its agreement with
for calling Anwar “the biggest traitor Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB).
to the struggle of the Malays”. The company said its agreement had run its
He said he is leaving it to his lawyer first 10-year course and it was willing to carry
to respond to the letter but insisted on with the optional 10 years but TNB decided
that he will not make an apology. to hand over the 26 operating mini-hydro sta-
“I won’t apologise. I did make the tions to its subsidiary company, TNB Energy
statement. I didn’t lie. I stand by what Services.
has been reported,” he said. Projass Engineering director Mohd Zain
Yusoff told theSun the repair, rehabilitation
and maintenance of the mini-hydro stations in
the peninsula, when the company took on the
contract in 1994, had cost them RM10 million.
He was referring to theSun’s front-page
report on Monday which said TNB was going
to fork out another RM10 million to rehabilitate
almost half of the 37 mini-hydro stations.
TNB had claimed only 17 stations were run-
ning while 10 were under maintenance.
Ten others were inoperable and are located
in Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Terengganu, Pahang,
Kedah and Perak. The largest station – in Hulu
Langat – was being made a museum.
It was implied that Projass Engineering failed
to perform and TNB was taking the stations
back.
“There were 42 mini-hydro plants built
throughout the peninsula, and when we took
charge, only 26 were running,” Mohd Zain said.
“Seven were non-operational and beyond
repair, even at the time. They weren’t dams but
the supply was from a run-of-the-river scheme
and the operating plants were only running at a
maximum of 20% capacity.”
He said a government grant of RM70 mil-
lion was spent to build the mini-hydro stations,
aimed at supplying electricity to the rural areas,
but this became irrelevant when the areas
started getting their supply from the national
grid.
Projass Engineering started bidding for the
contract in 1992, proposing to utilise TNB’s as-
sets that had been neglected and underutilised
in various parts of Peninsular Malaysia.
The contract meant that Projass Engineering,
while bearing the cost of repairing and refur-
bishing the mini-hydro stations, had to generate
a minimum power supply as stipulated by TNB
in the contract.

Let me fulfil responsibilities, says Chua

» From Front Page
“I took part in the party election last year
because I wanted the members to decide my
fate in the party and if they could not accept
me, they would not have voted for me. To let
members decide my fate was the best way
rather than allowing irresponsible people to
film me illegally and to privately kill my political
career,” he said.
Chua said now that he has been elected the
party deputy president as well as the Barisan
Nasional (BN) chief coordinator, he has respon-
sibilities to fulfil. He pleaded for that chance to
fulfil them.
He said he had openly said he was not inter-
ested to become a minister, and asked the people
not to speculate that he had his own agenda.
“Many politicians only want to be ministers,
but when I said I am not interested, ‘he’ should
be calm and easy and why would ‘he’ want to be
over-suspicious about my behaviour and wherea-
bouts? There is no need for that,” he said.
Chua arrived at the MCA headquarters with
lawyers Datuk Cecil Abraham and Rishwant
Singh. He also invited the previous disciplinary
board members – former deputy president Tan
Sri Chan Kong Choy and veterans Tan Sri Dr Sak
Cheng Lum, Tan Sri Wong See Wah and Datuk Ho
Lim Teck – to explain to the current board.
All, except Chan, attended but the board only
allowed Sak to testify.
Chua said Sak told the inquiry the previous
board had decided to stop the hearing last year
because he had resigned all party and ministe-
rial posts. However, he said Sak was informed
by the board there was no such record of the
decision.
Chua said there were members who were
lawyers who advised him not to attend the
inquiry because the complaint had been with-
drawn.
“They said I should not go because it could
be a second attempt to kill my political career.
However, I still opine that as a party leader, we
must uphold discipline in the party,” he said.