Better things to do on a Saturday

I really don't like people to spoil my Saturdays. This is because I support this team up north of UK called Newcastle. They always give me headaches. Their performance in the English Premier League is like the Banjaran Titiwangsa - ups and downs since Sir Bobby Robson days. Tonight we are playing Crystal Palace.

On Thursday, Syed Akbar Ali posted an article - KJ Tells Idris To Give Con-sultan RM6.0M To Confirm Toll Hike??

There were two replies - one from me with this post - Outside the door or under the table? - and there was another one via email from the Principal Private Secretary of Idris Jala, Izhar Moslim. Izhar's email was taken well by BigDogDotCom and he posted the email in full here - Misfire

This evening, yes a Saturday today, Syed Akbar Ali posted another article - Pemandu : Khairy Jamaluddin Is Bullsh*tting

There's a paragraph that made me laughed out loud.

Before I go further I think I may have achieved two things :
i. On the plus side I think I have just saved the taxpayer RM6.0 Million (You are most welcome. Sama-sama).  Pemandu says they will not be hiring any 'con-sultans' brains to hold their hands over the toll hike.  

I think this is a classic example of "I'm trying to save face here".

There was absolutely no mention of RM6 mil by anyone to be given to Idris Jala to hire consultants. Not KJ, not Nazri, not Subramaniam, not Ali Hamsa, not Nancy Shukri, not Hishammuddin, not even Zahid Hamidi. This number wasn't mentioned in any Cabinet meetings, didn't appear in any papers, didn't appear even in anyone's minds. There weren't any plans to hire any consultants to begin with!

And there's a paragraph

I say kawan, first of all this is already the end of this year lah. Christmas is four days away and in 10 days it will be the new year 2014. So what 'end of this year' is Pemandu talking about?  You mean you are going to conduct your workshop with MoF and KBS (?) between your X'mas party and your New Year's Eve Party? Jangan bullsh*t ok.


I am going to break some rules here. Here's the email (or probably bullshit to some).

I heard PEMANDU staff had this "are you kidding me" look when they heard there's a workshop/lab in the next week or two before 31 Dec 2013:

Now let's go to the fun part that Syed Akbar Ali said.

Pemandu has been paying the con-sultans up to RM6.0 Million per 'lab'. I would like Pemandu to refute this figure.  This is what I am driving at.

I texted the Principal Private Secretary. Asked him how many labs did PEMANDU do, whether it is

• on PEMANDU core work and deliverables
• on areas where we were the busybody kid (kami bukan Ah Long, cuma nak tolong)
• on projects/strategic roadmap that other Ministries/agencies asked us to help instead of spending on consultants
• Orders from Cabinet

I hope his wife is not angry of me. Don't mean to disturb you on your weekend bro but your name is going around on Twitter and Blogs.

Interestingly, PEMANDU has done almost 80 labs. Ok lah, let's assume 70 labs.

Before we do some calculations, if you remember, in my article - PEMANDU, The Animal back in September 2013, I wrote that I did a quick check on PEMANDU Operating Budget.

Budget allocations to all Ministries and Federal agencies are listed in the MOF Annual Financial Reports. Here’s the link: http://www.treasury.gov.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=88&Itemid=208&lang=my

If you search PEMANDU, you will see the following

• In 2010, code 290700 was RM18.71mil, code 300900 was RM40.6 mil. Total: RM59.31 mil
• In 2011, code 310000 was RM20.672mil, code 320800 was RM0.897 mil, code 330000 RM18.4302 mil. Total: RM40 mil
• In 2012, code 330000 was RM40 mil. Total: RM40 mil

If I am not mistaken, 2013 is at RM40mil too. Too lazy to check.

In total in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 (4 years), PEMANDU has received RM179.31 mil for operating expenditure/budget. Note that:

1. PEMANDU staff grew from just the Minister alone to 100-120 staff over the years


2. PEMANDU’s portfolio grew from 6 National Key Results Areas in 2009, added 12 National Key Economic Areas in 2010, added 6 Strategic Reform Initiatives in 2011 (in total, 25 portfolios)


3. PEMANDU’s expense items include:

• Salary and wages for the what .... 100 – 120 staff?
• Travel allowances
• Flights
• Cars and maintenances
• Office rental
• Telecommunications, utilitieslabs and roadmaps development with various Ministries, Federal agencies and corridors

Now, according to the "Outsyed The Box" informer who is perhaps frequently eavesdropping outside the door of the Cabinet meeting room or probably under the table in between the legs of Najib, Subramaniam, Nazri, Ali Hamsa and the rest of the gang, PEMANDU pays consultants up to RM 6 mil per lab. According to Syed Akbar Ali and his informers la.

Okay, so RM6 mil paid to consultants per lab.

Let's take the "Outsyed The Box" idea/assumption here of RM6 mil for consultancy fees per lab. We get RM6 mil per lab x 70 labs = RM420 million. (PEMANDU OE in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 was approximately RM179.31 mil. Idris Jala, did you take the balance RM240.69 mil from the Monopoly game boxes in Toys R Us to cover the deficit?)

Let's try a conservative "Outsyed The Box" calculation. Say RM3 mil per lab? That will be RM3 mil per lab x 70 labs = RM210 mil. (PEMANDU OE in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 was approximately RM179.31 mil. Idris Jala, did you take the balance RM30.69 mil from the Monopoly game boxes in Toys R Us to cover the deficit?)

I'm sure the RM6mil did not include the following from the lab:

• karipap
• teh tarik
• milo ais
• whiteboard marker
• A4 paper
• printer ink
• and others
 

Idris Jala, please, don't owe the karipap lady any more money. Use some of the Monopoly game money. Saidina pun ok la. Here.





My fellow friends, one notable figure in PEMANDU, which I heard Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin used to describe her as "the Iron Lady" in Government is this lady Datuk Aziyah Bahauddin. She was one of those copied in the email "leak" above.

She has served under 4 (or maybe 5) Prime Ministers including Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Abdullah Badawi, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak when she was in Treasury. She's actually the Tax Lady of Malaysia. For someone like this who has dedicated her life to ensuring Malaysia's finances remain healthy, do you really think she will happily agree to spend money given to PEMANDU like there's no tomorrow?

Datuk, congratulations by the way. I believe it is a badge of honor for yourself and everyone there in PEMANDU to be called consultants instead of civil servants. I am not sure if everyone is happy to be called "consultancy shopaholics" though.

What's next, I wonder.

I have better things to do on a Saturday. We all do. Time to watch the match.


*The above blog post is the personal opinion of GWL. Probably endorsed by Musang King and D24. Yes, thorny affair indeed.