Johore and Kedah  State Governments should explain why they have the biggest unpaid loan arrears to the Federal Government,  each about five times that of Kelantan state government


Speech
-
Four Barisan Alternative Leaders Ceramah
by
Lim Kit Siang 

(Pokok Sena,  Thursday): From the endless attacks mounted by Barisan Nasional Ministers on the Kelantan State Government’s debts to the Federal Government, Malaysians believe that Kelantan must be the worst state in terms of repaying Federal Government loans.

I am surprised however that the latest Auditor-General’s Report on the Federal Government 1998 which has just been tabled in Parliament shows a completely different picture.

Kelantan State Government does not head the list of state governments with the biggest unpaid loan arrears to the Federal Government as at the end of 1998, which goes to the Johore and Kedah state governments which owe the Federal Government in unpaid loan arrears the staggering sum of RM229.78 million and RM225.54 million respectively.

The third state in the list is Sarawak State Government, whose unpaid loan arrears stand at RM86.22 million.  Kelantan comes fourth at RM44.88 million, followed by Pahang at RM44.88 million, Terengganu at RM27.34 million and Sabah at RM24.53 million.

The Barisan Nasional state governments of Johore and Kedah should explain why they have the biggest unpaid loan arrears to the Federal Government,  each about five times that of the PAS Kelantan state government, when Barisan Nasional claims to be more competent and efficient than PAS.

The 1998 Auditor-General’s Report also reveals that there are six statutory bodies and three government companies whose unpaid loan arrears to the Federal Government as at the end of 1998  exceed that of the Kelantan state government - in one case by as much as over 20 times!

The six statutory bodies which have unpaid loan arrears to the Federal Government more than the Kelantan State Government are:

Perbadanan Aset Keretapi                RM504.06 million
Bank Pertanian Malaysia                 RM324.83 million
Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia              RM160.32 million
Lembaga Letrik Sabah                    RM140.37 million
Lembaga Air Perak                       RM122.69 million
Lembaga  Kemajuan Pahang Tenggara (DARA)RM 61.46 million
   

The three government companies which have unpaid loan arrears to the Federal Government greater than the Kelantan State Government are:

Perwaja Terengganu Sdn. Bhd.           RM893.46 million
Equal Concept Sdn. Bhd.                RM105.35 million
Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Bhd.         RM 47.71 million

These are most shocking and frightening revelations in the  1998 Auditor-General’s Report showing a Federal Government which is careless about its financial responsibilities, where it could allow unpaid loan arrears to total RM712 million for State Governments, RM1,423 million for statutory bodies and RM1,133 million for government companies.

What is even more shocking is that after the Perwaja had chalked up RM2,985 million in accumulated losses and RM6,939 million in liabilities  as at  31.12.1995, making it the biggest financial scandal in the history of Malaysia, the Federal Government could still give it two loans totalling RM1.66 billion in 1997 and 1998 in which no letter of agreement was signed between the steel mill and the government.

(4/11/99)


*Lim Kit Siang - Malaysian Parliamentary Opposition Leader, Democratic Action Party Secretary-General & Member of Parliament for Tanjong