TASEK PAUH blogspot

Anwar: We are entitled to know
The Sun, Jan 11

The public is entitled to know that investigations on the murder of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu were carried out without fear or favour, and that all those responsible will be brought to book, said Parti Keadilan Rakyat adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Speaking in a press conference in his residence today, he said questions had also been raised about whether Altantuya had a role in the government's purchase of the Scorpene and Agosta submarines from France in a deal costing nearly 1 billion euros (RM4.6 billion).

"We find it totally unacceptable the reasons given by the government that there is no question of corruption or accountability because the commission that was paid was between the seller and a third party and did not involve government funds.

"This is a blatant lie because no manufaturer would give such huge commissions unless that has already been factored into the pricing of the purchases of the submarines," he said.

"The payment of this commission of 114 million euros (RM530 million) is exorbitant by any standard. The public has the right to know who are the beneficiaries of this massive payout?" he added.

Anwar said the Far Eastern Economic Review in 2002 had reported that Perimekar Sdn Bhd would receive 8% of the total contract value over the next six years.

He said according to the publication, Perimekar was fully owned by Ombak Laut, a company owned by Abdul Razak Abdullah and his associates.

He said Ombak Laut then sold 40% of Perimekar to Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera and a sister company.

Asked how he came to know about all this, Anwar said he was privy to some of the information - but did not eleborate how - while the rest was publicly known.

Political analyst Abdul Razak is charged with abetting in the murder of Altantuya, 28, on Oct 18.

During the press conference, the former deputy prime minister also commented on the Election Commission (EC) chairman's call on Monday (Jan 8, 2007) for legislative reform so that the commission can uphold the democratic process of fair and transparent elections.

He said the chairman's admission showed that the entire process was flawed in the past.

"(The previous elections were) not free, no access to the media and certainly many regulations are considered to be bias," he said.

He added that if nothing was done following the chairman's call, it would be a "mockery of the entire electoral process."

Anwar also commented on the agreements between the government and highway concessionaires, saying if there was compelling reason to suggest that the terms of the agreements were not transparent and fair, then a renegotiation was warranted.

On Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's remark that the cabinet was not always knowledgeable and politicians, including himself, could sometimes be "stupid," Anwar said they would "have to pay for the stupidity" and "don't get the poor to pay for the stupidity."

Labels: Altantuya, Berita, Malaysia