No ADUN in tender board

ASSEMBLYMEN and politically-appointed local councillors will no longer be allowed to sit on the tender boards of the various local councils in Selangor.

State Local Government Committee chairman Ronnie Liu said this was to free local authorities from the element of corruption.

Liu: The tender boards will comprise local councillors appointed from outside political circles.

In the past, he said that there were all sorts of allegations from the public that elected representatives strongly influenced decisions on the awarding of contracts.

“State assemblymen from the ruling government used to sit on the tender boards and we cannot allow this to go on, to ensure there is good governance of the local councils,” he said.

He added that local politicians who represented various parties would also be left out of the tender boards.

Liu said tender boards would comprise local councillors appointed from outside political circles, including professionals and members of non-governmental organisations.

“This goes to say that we are not only appointing members of the public into the local councils but also giving them more powers than those appointed from political circles,” he said.

Besides these people, Liu said, the council presidents and mayors of the respective councils would chair the tender boards.

He said this reflected the Pakatan Rakyat government’s aim of freeing Selangor from corruption and ensuring things were done the right way.

“These people will have a very heavy responsibility on their shoulders and I am confident they will deliver,” he said.

Meanwhile, Liu said he has directed council presidents and mayors of the 12 local councils in Selangor to make public the details of tenders awarded by them.

He said he informed them of the new guidelines at his monthly meeting with them on Tuesday and they were agreeable.

“The list of the contracts awarded, with the name of the companies, and the date of payment made and the amount will be stated on the public board of each council.

“The list must also state if the payment has not been made and this will enable the councils to be transparent so that the public will be kept informed,” he said.