KUALA LUMPUR: Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu today (June 13, 2006) chided the Public Accounts Committee and its chairman Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad for continuously questioning the scrapped half-bridge project and the KL-Putrajaya dedicated highway.

He said the committee can only review public spending on projects which have been completed.

"Don't jump the gun - give us the time," he thundered in a press conference in his ministry.

Irked by the continuous sniping of the parliamentary body on the two projects, Samy Vellu said the PAC should instead allow the Public Works Department to complete its work. "There must be a limit to the PAC -you are not an operator of this ministry," he said.

He said the PAC cannot be calling the ministry and its officers all the time for a briefing just so the PAC can hold press conferences.

"He calls us all the time - my director-general has lots of responsibilities to look into. Every week they call us, and we have to go there to answer their queries," he said.

The senior cabinet minister said he had informed the PAC that in the future, he will answer the numerous queries only by way of written answers. "We can't afford to lose any time. We only have a limited time to implement the various projects," he said.

On whether the ministry would reconsider the estimated RM100 million compensation to Gerbang Perdana Sdn Bhd, the contractor for the cancelled bridge project, he said the ministry is still considering it.

"We are not blind to just give it away when they asked. We have eyes, we will consider. Do not think that we are stupid, you know, the PAC should know this," he said.

Yesterday (June 12, 2006), Shahrir told a press conference the PAC would suggest to the PWD claims department to negotiate with Gerbang Perdana to reduce the RM100 million compensation.

Samy Vellu said the ministry will study the compensation rate to Gerbang Perdana and will take into account the various factors, such as feedback from experts and engineers, before a decision is made.

"Ask them to come sit in the Works Ministry-lah - and run the ministry," he said, referring to the PAC members.

"Ask the PAC chairman to come and sit in the ministry. Every project he approves, we will implement it," said Samy Vellu.

The ministry stressed that the PAC is not the approving body, and that they will only implement projects approved by the Finance Ministry.

"We are the implementing agent for the Finance Ministry which issues all the tenders and projects," he stressed.

To the suggestion from Shahrir that the Ministry buy the affected homes along the Putrajaya dedicated highway, Samy Vellu said the alignment was set a long time ago.

He added that the ministry can only buy property or land within the alignment of the highway and not outside it.

On another matter, he said the ministry will establish a flying squad to monitor the progress of various projects to be implemented under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

He said state PWD chiefs will also have to submit a regular report on the implementation of projects in their area every three months.

Samy Vellu said for the 2006/7 period, 400 new and continued projects worth RM18.7 billion would be completed or implemented.

He added he will seek an appointment with former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and will explain to him the decision and directive regarding his ministry's projects he had questioned.

"I have sought an appointment next week," he said, adding that he will also submit a written explanation to the former prime minister.