Izzah queries closed tender for ATC system won by JJ’s son

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Nurul Izzah Anwar wants the Transport Ministry to explain the RM128.4 million air traffic control system contract given to Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis's son through a "closed tender", which is apparently faulty.

The ministry explained the system was performing well in written reply  to parliamentary question on Tuesday by the Lembah Pantai MP on the system supplied by Advanced Air Traffic System (AAT).

According to a company search produced by the lawmaker, AAT is half owned by Tirai Variasi, whose largest shareholder is Ikwan Hafiz Jamaluddin, the son of Datuk Seri Jamaluddin Jarjis, who is now Special Envoy to the United States with ministerial status.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said in the system cost RM128.4 million and has been "performing well with no incidents caused by it."

"The system supplied by the said supplier fulfills standards recommended by the international regulatory body, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)," he said.

Nurul Izzah (picture), who is PKR vice president, had claimed last week the system installed at the National Air Traffic Control Centre (NATCC) was "so flawed controllers revert to the old system of not using radar," putting the lives of millions of passengers at risk.

"It is definitely dangerous if radar is not functioning properly because plane positions are wrong," she had said,  although she added mitigating measures could be taken by controllers of Malaysia's airspace which serves hundreds of millions of passengers annually.

In a press conference today, Nurul Izzah demanded the transport ministry reveal why the RM128.4 million air traffic control system was awarded through a closed tender.

"Is it the norm to award such an important project to a minister's family member?" she asked.

According to documents produced by PKR purported to be correspondence between the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) and the supplier, the system was rife with errors, including "inconsistency in cleared flight level."

However, one letter, dated December 21, 2011, also show that the contractor promised to fix defects in the radar system supplied to the NATCC by March this year.