KUCHING: Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng appears to be playing dumb as he continues to ward off revelation of direct negotiation deals made under the Pakatan Harapan (PH) administration.
Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to People’s Republic of China, Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing said the controversy surrounding the direct negotiation deals disclosed by the MOF was not a surprising issue nor were these kinds of contract awards new.
He pointed out that in certain special circumstances and emergencies, direct negotiation of contracts might be necessary. During the entire negotiation process, professionals from all the relevant departments and units would provide evaluation and views.
“However, the controversy today is not on the merits of this kind of contract nor comparing whether PH, Barisan Nasional or the Perikatan Nasional governments have made more direct negotiation deals.
“Rather, this shows the true face of the former finance minister,” Tiong said in a statement.
He said that Lim attempted to divert the focus away from his stint as finance minister following the revelation of the 101 direct negotiation deals.
“When people began to question his handling of the direct negotiation contracts, his first reaction was to deny all responsibility and said that others had more directly negotiated contracts to ward off accusations against him for lying and deceiving the public.
“During his time, Lim had accused Barisan Nasional of ‘robbing’ GST refunds. However, an investigation by the Public Accounts Committee had confirmed that the relevant funds had not been spent, but deposited into various accounts under the purview of the Ministry of Finance.
“But thus far, has Lim even stood up and admitted his mistakes?” he questioned.
