Former Selangor MB denies any irregularities in projects approved by him

Former Selangor MB denies any irregularities in projects approved by him
29 May, 2008

PROJECTS implemented under the former Barisan Nasional government in Selangor have contributed towards the growth and prosperity of the state and its people, said former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo.

Khir, who is now the Opposition leader in Selangor, said the nation's most developed state had achieved rapid economic growth in recent years.

All done accordingly: Khir insists projects served its purpose.

He said the hardwork done by the Barisan government who had ruled for 50 years enabled the people to enjoy good infrastructure such as roads, housing and commercial development.

“All the things that we are enjoying today are the fruits of the efforts and initiatives undertaken by the Barisan government.

“It is unfair to say that Barisan has not done much for the state,'' Khir said at the Selangor State Assembly in reply to allegations that the previous government had spent unwisely on mega projects that were underutilised or had stalled.

Several assemblymen from the Pakatan government took the previous government to task for carrying out too many mega projects that ended up as “white elephants”.

They include the Exco Village at Shah Alam, Marine Park in Sekinchan and Shah Alam Stadium.

Ng Swee Lim (Pakatan-Sekinchan) had said that the marine park did not attract visitors and was a waste of public funds.

He said the cost of the project had been stretched from RM10mil initially to RM21mil and it was done through a direct-nego concept and no open tender was called.

Hanizah Mohamed Talha (Pakatan-Taman Medan) said the previous state government should be held accountable for projects, which were abandoned and the facilities were underutilised in Selangor.

Khir said every development project in the state was carried out for the benefit of the people.

He said all the projects were implemented accordingly and denied any form of irregularities aimed at serving the interest of certain parties including himself.

“During my tenure as mentri besar, I was responsible for approving projects that were worth more than RM10mil and all the projects were carried out properly.”

“I have been investigated by the Anti-Corruption Agency and police and have been cleared of any wrongdoing,'' he said.

THE STAR