Zahid threatened action if new camp not ready, purportedly as voting base

PETALING JAYA (May 14): A special audit report on the Defence Ministry’s land swaps revealed that former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had threatened action if the Hutan Melintang army camp was not ready by Aug 2017.

In the report tabled by Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu in the Dewan Negara last week, it showed that at July 18, 2017, Zahid chaired a committee meeting, in which he told all those involved they would face action if the camp was not ready by August 31 the same year.

The report stated that earlier in April 2016, Zahid had first ordered the Public-Private Partnership Unit to hasten the project sited in Bagan Datuk, of which he was MP then, reported Malaysian Insight today.

“The Election Commission, which was also present, said the period for registration of army voters at the Hutan Melintang camp was between August and September 2017,” stated the report.

“The EC said several important elements needed to be ready before an army camp can be accepted as a voting base. Among the important elements are, the camp should be physically ready by the deadline, the infrastructure should include the main guard post gate at the entrance, and fencing around the camp’s perimeters. Others include a bachelors’ barracks, a kitchen and a weapons storage facility.”

EC representatives also informed the meeting that army personnel needed to be transferred there and routine military activities should be carried out. EC representatives visited the camp on June 6, and September 14 and 16, 2017 to ensure the conditions were met.

“The audit team found that the EC was directly involved in the transfer of 935 military voters and their spouses from Tambun camp in Ipoh, and 628 military voters and their spouses from Kamunting camp in Taiping, to Hutan Melintang camp in Bagan Datuk.

“On September 11, 2017, the army ordered the 3rd RAD to move into Hutan Melintang camp in two phases in September that year.

The project was halted on Aug 2 last year. Army personnel who were shifted there in 2017 were instructed to leave. With only 42.4% completion, some of the buildings were not fully constructed.

 “On August 14, 2018, the army rescinded its order,” the report noted.

“This was a contractor-driven project. The project took seven years to start, and it is clear that it was not a priority,” the report pointed out.  

It was also confirmed in the 10th and 11th Malaysia Plans that the RM250 million camp was not part of the Defence Ministry’s master plan

The project started with direct negotiations with the developer for 17 buildings for the infantry and Royal Artillery Regiment (RAD) on RM182 million.

The deal would see the government swapping ministry land in Rasah, Seremban, and Lahat in the Kinta district, worth RM244.8 million, for the job. The balance RM50 million would be borne by the ministry.

Prior to the developer’s proposal in 2017, three other proposals from different companies were either rejected or withdrawn.

The report included a recommendation for a review of the project, taking into account the high costs due to the elevated land of the campsite.

The special audit, conducted between July and December 2018, checked transactions dating back to 1997, covering 16 land-swap projects totalling 2,923 acres, valued at RM4.756 billion.

The report is available at the ministry’s e-portal.