KUCHING, Oct 6: There will be no more `open sesame’ for Bumiputera `Ali Baba’ contractors if a proposal to blacklist them is approved by the Ministry of Works.
Its minister, Baru Bian, said this was one of about 30 proposals forwarded to him during a dialogue session with Sarawak Bumiputera contractors at CIDB here this morning.
He said under the proposal, an enforcement unit is to be set up in his office to monitor and nab Ali Baba contractors, including those who passed contracts to non-Bumiputeras.
“We need friendly people to provide intelligence for the ministry to enforce this anti-Ali Baba practices.
“I agree with that (proposal) as it is what I am very concerned with. We want to assist all the Bumiputera contractors not just in Sarawak but the whole of Malaysia because there have been some abuses in the system,” he told a press conference after the dialogue session.
Baru said for that enforcement to work, it was proposed that Bumiputera contractors, upon procurement of projects or tender, must sign an agreement not to outsource their work to other contractors.
If found guilty, their companies would be blacklisted.
“I will bring this (proposal) up to Kuala Lumpur to be deliberated with my officers,” Baru assured, adding that presently, enforcement was carried out by the Contractors and Entrepreneurs Development Office under the Ministry of Entrepreneur Development.
On the dialogue session, Baru described it as very fruitful and promised to continue to go down to the ground to hear the grouses and suggestions by the grassroots to ensure that Bumiputera contractors would improve. — DayakDaily
