Khir: Signing Off Money He Shouldn't to Puncak Niaga?

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Jeez…the news about Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo doesn’t seem to want to let up, does it? First we have the alleged shredding of official government documents which has been going far and wide across the blogosphere, and now we have an alleged report that he’s been brokering illegal deals:

(The NST, Friday, 14 March 2008): SHAH ALAM, Thurs: The DAP lodged today a police report against former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo for allegedly signing a deal with Puncak Niaga Holdings Berhad a day before polling day to operate and maintain the Sungai Sireh water treatment plant.

DAP Central Committee Member Ronnie Liu lodged the report against Khir at the Selangor police headquarters at 3.30pm.

“We are questioning the manner the contract was signed,” Liu said. “The signing of the deal just before elections is unlawful.”

Liu said according to the law, when parliament is dissolved, a Government standing as a candidate for elections cannot sign any deals pertaining to Government projects.

“Any dealings should be done only after the new Government is formed,” he said. “Maybe Khir Toyo thought he would win this election again and that is why he signed.”

While Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo maintains his favourite stance of denial in the face of these allegations, Bursa Malaysia is mentioned within the report that that he (allegedly) did indeed sign off the government deal:

Khir had denied signing any contracts or that he had any knowledge of a deal signed. The Bursa Malaysia on Tuesday, the same day Khir Toyo denied knowledge of contract signing, made an announcement that a contract was signed with the Selangor Government for Puncak Niaga to operate, manage and maintain the raw water intake and the treatment plant situated on a 6.72 acre piece of land located beside a canal near Sungai Sireh, Tanjung Karang in the district of Kuala Selangor.

The actual contract is expected to take effect on April 1.

Wow…I guess he really does take pride in efficiency if he did indeed do what he is accused of doing. After all, he got the jump on his work – or what he assumed would be his work – by going ahead with signing agreements, shredding documents, and what not.


Ah, we should all look heavenward to have a man like Datuk Khir - not to be confused with Siti’s Datuk ‘K’- to be our Menteri Besar. After all, his diligence in duty, his innovation in execution, and his prodigious work ethic has earned him a special place in our bowels. No wonder we didn’t want the bugger back.

Latest reports, however, indicate that Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo is indeed innocent of the accusation of deals brokering on the 11th hour:

(Bernama Online, Friday, 14 March 2008): Selangor SS Admits Signing Contract On Eve Of Polls
SHAH ALAM, March 13 (Bernama) -- Selangor State Secretary Datuk Ramli Mahmud said today that it was he who signed an agreement on the behalf of the state with Puncak Niaga Bhd a day before the general election.
The contract was for the maintenance and operations of the Sungai Sireh water treatment plant and was not signed by Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo who was then Menteri Besar, he said.
He said it was approved by the State Executive Council about a year ago after consulting the Water, Energy and Communications Ministry and the legal adviser while the documents were ready for signing a day before the polls.

Personally, though, I don’t see the logic of the reason behind Datuk Ramli Mahmud’s line of reasoning. If what Ronnie Liu says is true, then the fact remains that these documents were signed a day before election, rendering the agreement null and void.

Sure, it can be argued that the legal standing for this is a verbal agreement between two parties which was made a year ago, which is essentially binding. But where is the substantiation for this? Some misfiled coffee soaked meeting minutes? Where is the documentation that proves that there was indeed a consensus reached between two these two parties when the ex-Menteri Besar and the ex-State Secretary was legally empowered to broker deals for the state of Selangor?

Well, we have the word of a man, and his secretary, who likes to give out brooms for awards. That, I’m sorry to say, is pretty flimsy to me.