KUALA LUMPUR: The government has started restricted tender negotiations for several projects for the benefit of the people in an effort to stop direct negotiations or approval of procurement without tender.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said flexibility has been given to district offices to implement restricted tender negotiations for projects such as renovations for dilapidated schools and clinics.

"We give space to district officers, for example, at certain levels in the ministries. For example, for dilapidated schools and clinics, if the project is up to RM1 million, then the district office is given the flexibility to open a restricted tender negotiation.

"In the case of defective lifts, if we open a tender, it may take three months to repair. Therefore, for lifts that need to be replaced or repaired (costing) between RM500,000 and RM1.2 million, the procurement price is also processed faster through restricted tender negotiations or pre-qualification," he said.

He said this during the Minister's Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today, in response to a question from Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad (BN-Parit Sulong) who wanted to know whether the government's reforms in awarding tenders resulted in delays in the implementation of projects for the people.

Anwar, who is also the Minister of Finance, said that all projects under RM50 million in Sabah and Sarawak, are fully handed over to the Public Works Department or the Technical Department of Sabah or Sarawak to be expedited without consulting the Ministry of Finance or federal agencies.

Thus, he said the services of district engineers need to be increased to give them room to perform tasks in repairing damaged roads, schools, clinics and small infrastructure projects.

The Prime Minister said taking commissions and misappropriating people's money in dozens of cases of direct negotiations must be stopped.

"I strongly object to direct negotiation because there is no monitoring and it is just between the company and the person concerned," he said.

Meanwhile, Anwar also stressed that he had never issued flip-flop statements on the issue of egg and chicken subsidies as well as Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships in the fields of medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.

He said the PSD's decision to review the sponsorship was an old decision, but after he chaired the PSD meeting, the government decided to continue providing the scholarship.

The Prime Minister said the same thing on the issue of providing egg and chicken subsidies for this month announced by the ministry was an old decision but after research, the government decided to continue providing the subsidies according to the procedure.

He said if flip-flopping was involved in those decisions that would benefit the people, then he would be willing to do so.

-- BERNAMA