Liang, who is a member of the PAC and Simpang Renggam MP, told The Malaysian Insider the PKFZ final report was prepared collectively by all members of the powerful parliamentary committee which consists of members from both the government and the opposition.
“He cannot politicise it like this. Everyone was there in preparing the report. Is Tony Pua saying that the Kepong MP did not do his job?” said Liang referring to DAP’s Tan Seng Giaw, who is PAC deputy chairman.
“We have never tried to hide any fact. All the reports were compiled together and they were present all the time. And the land issue is in the verbatim report,” he added.
Liang said that the DAP representatives in PAC had the tendency to break away from agreements reached during meetings
“After PAC meetings we always hold a joint press conference where we present the consensus. But I notice after the press conference they always like to say something different,” said Liang.
The PAC is chaired by BN Padang Besar MP Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid. The committee has 15 members, four of them are from the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat (PR).
“In the PAC, it is not about BN or Pakatan, we do our work as PAC members,” said Liang.
Earlier today Petaling Jaya Utara MP, Tony Pua alleged that some members of the PAC were not keen to highlight Dr Ling’s role in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project.
The former transport minister’s testimony was, however, recorded in the full transcript of the PAC hearing.
Yesterday Dr Ling was charged for misleading the Cabinet in the purchase of land for the scandal hit PKFZ project.
Excerpts of the verbatim report published by The Malaysian Insider on November 6 last year quoted the former Ministry of Transportation secretary-general Datuk Zaharah Shaari as saying that the Cabinet was fully aware of the land acquisition for the PKFZ project.
Zaharah had said that the ministry had to “go by Cabinet decision.”
PAC reported that the government would have spent RM442.13 million and saved RM645.87 million if the land had been acquired for PKFZ in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act 1960.
It also reported that the cost of the land was RM47.76psf, or 67 per cent higher than the RM25psf fixed by the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH).
Zaharah explained that Dr Ling had agreed with the Treasury Secretary General that the land be acquired in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act 1960.
She had said that the matter was referred back to the Cabinet for a proper solution and stressed that Dr Ling was in direct contact with the former finance and prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.