THE Transport Ministry has terminated an RM800,000 contract signed by the previous minister to engage Pemandu Associates to do communications work, which included writing his weekly articles in a mainstream English newspaper.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said his predecessor Liow Tiong Lai had engaged Pemandu to deliver a “ministerial communications programme” for seven months, starting January this year.
“The contract was worth RM808,629.48.
“Ministry officials didn’t know the scope of the ministerial communications programme but they were made to understand that one of the scope was to help the minister to write a weekly newspaper column,” Loke said in a press conference at the ministry today.
Liow Tiong Lai, who is also MCA president, had a weekly column in the MCA-owned newspaper, The Star, prior to the 14th general election.
“I can communicate directly to all media, I don’t need any public relations company to help me in communication programmes,” he said.
Loke added that the RM800,000 contract was an example of unnecessary spending by the previous administration.
“I was told that no payment has been made out, there was no claim from the company yet but we don’t need to engage their services.
“I’m not sure if the payment was based on services delivered or by columns but the value of the contract was RM808,000,” he said adding that the ministry did not have to use the money even though the allocation was part of the ministry’s budget. – June 12, 2018.
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