I HAVE been following the discussions on Pemandu on this portal and it confirms my suspicion that Pemandu has failed. I have no intention to participate in the debate but the latest reply from Pemandu, written by its manager, Shahrizan Syawal, compelled me to write this piece.

To begin with, I was quite amazed that Pemandu gave not one, but two rebuttals within a day to an article penned by Osman Jailani last week. Efficiency at its best.

I want to highlight several key issues regarding the replies from Pemandu.

First, Pemandu admitted that RM639.5 million was indeed spent by Pemandu. This somehow negated Pemandu’s first reply, which says its budget for 2017 is only RM40 million. Thus, now it is confirmed that indeed more than half a billion was given to Pemandu for its operational needs. Osman Jailani is correct to say that Pemandu has not been honest.

Wait, it gets better. Pemandu then has the audacity to claim that the RM639.5 million was also spent to build roads and other infrastructure.

I find this hard to believe. Pemandu wrote that “more than 5,000km of rural roads were built to connect rural villages, 334,593 rural houses given access to clean water, 144,025 houses were provided with electricity and 79,137 rural houses were built and restored.”

Wait, RM635 million is all we need to build all those? That’s a bargain!

But we know that is not true. The allocation for those items did not come from Pemandu, but from each ministry responsible.  Which means Sharizan and Pemandu lied. Osman is correct to call them dishonest, but the latest stunt pulled by Pemandu shows that it is also a liar.

Second, no one said that Pemandu is the harbinger of economic disaster for Malaysia. If one cared to read carefully the article where Pemandu is rated “F” by Osman, the criticism is about the performance of Pemandu in achieving its own targets.

Do not move the goalpost. This is not some high school debating competition in Batu Pahat.  Any government administrator (I refrain for using the term public official since one High Court judge might claim otherwise) giving misdirection of facts or purposely trying to feed lies to the public is a crime and punishable by the law.

Therefore, Pemandu needs to give substantial evidence that the targets have been reached. But both your rebuttals, which are incidentally repetitive, emphasised only on closing the gaps to the targets.

Not reaching a target set by your own standards is considered a failure. No two ways about it. You certainly cannot say – we are just 15% or 30% or even 5% off target, because that entitled you to get an “F”. You are playing with the public’s money. Was the RM639.5 million your own money, or taxpayers’ money?

Sharizan should know that his salary in Pemandu is paid by the common man on the street who had put his trust and tax money to the government so that the government can use it to make our lives better. But Pemandu’s latest stunt shows that our money is going down the drain. You are not making our lives better.

Third, it is perplexing when Pemandu rebutted with – “the GNI per capita (in ringgit terms) has steadily increased from RM32,596 in 2013 to RM37,930 in 2016. Applying the same level of ringgit-US$ exchange rate (which was RM3.20 per US$1 in 2010) the GNI would be US$11,853! That is 5% away from the high-income threshold.”

I think you have fallen for Osman’s trap. He was just trying to expose your naivety when he said – “assuming the ringgit remains at the same level, we are still off target because our economy grew at a lower rate”.

He was just trying to cajole you to say those words, and thus your reply above confirmed his theory that Pemandu has failed. How so? Because instead of giving us the good news that Pemandu had reached its targets, you are thumping your chest by triumphantly saying you are just 5% off the mark! What is sadder is the fact that if we use the real ringgit to US$ rate in 2016, the GNI could not even reach US$9,000.

That is way below the target, certainly doesn’t stand at the 5% gap. That is the reality. You want achieve a target of US$15,000 by 2020 but in 2016, we are just hovering below US$9,000, even lower than the anticipated US$12,475 set by World Bank for 2016.

So, who will take the blame come 2020 when you people have to stand in front of the rakyat to tell us that you have failed to achieve high-income nation status because the GNI target which you had set yourself fell short miserably.

Fourth, Pemandu’s first rebuttal mentioned that it is now disestablished and in the process of liquidation and will become a consultancy outfit. I do not understand this jargon. What does all that mean? It no longer be responsible for whatever it has done since 2009? Or will it be no longer accountable when 2020 comes?

Does Pemandu really understand what was written in those two articles?

Finally, let me address this directly to Sharizan since he authored the latest response on behalf of Pemandu.

Shahrizan, if you have even an ounce of integrity left, please urge your superiors or whoever that is left in that nice office to be more forthcoming and honest. Just like what Osman said:

“Pemandu claimed that it has been ‘transparent and proactive in reporting’, why not step up to the challenge and kindly publish the full list of all the consultants engaged and their fees and nature of work done, and the detailed costs on Pemandu staff salaries and benefits.

“Do not omit to also show us the clients of Pemandu Associates, and tell us that there is no deviation from global best practices and good governance for Pemandu Associates in the process to secure consultancy services provided to foreign governments and to the Malaysian government.

“What better way to clear your reputation than to embrace the proposal for an open inquiry into the affairs of Pemandu and its new entity Pemandu Associates. If there is any wrongdoing, those involved should be in jail. And for a very long time. Shame on you, Pemandu.”

So how about it Shahrizan? Do you have what it takes to embrace honesty, integrity and accountability to the public?

By the way, let me offer you unsolicited advice. As a rule of thumb, whenever you engage the public, please refrain from using the words like – “whine”, “complain”, or even condescendingly saying things like “subsidising Osman Jailani’s daily commute to Starbucks”.

You do not even know his preferred beverage and yet this is how you treat a member of the public. If he is a taxpayer, his tax money had paid your salary all these while.

You are the one on the chopping block yet you behaved as if you sat on a high horse to lecture the people who gave you a living. How impolite and cocky. Maybe it is indeed you whom Syed Hussein Alatas was referring to, “a jadong – jahat (evil), bodoh (dumb) and sombong (arrogant). Individuals who lack morals and integrity”.

You just added another public relations disaster facing the government. – May 4, 2017.

* Kalsom Bee is a The Malaysian Insight reader.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.