Wee bit lavish – successor cries foul over RM343k ghost office, smart toilet

TG PIAI POLLS | As the Tanjung Piai by-election campaign enters its final lap, MCA candidate Wee Jeck Seng's performance as the Labuan Port Authority (LPA) chairperson has come under scrutiny.

His successor Chan Foong Hin claimed that LPA splurged on the renovations - which included a high-tech toilet - for an office in Kuala Lumpur that was never occupied.

According to him, the renovation bill came up to RM343,180.50 and the LPA, under Wee, had committed to a three-year tenancy for the office that would amount to RM526,836.96.

Chan, who is the Kota Kinabalu MP from DAP, described this as a waste of funds and that the contract cannot be terminated.

"Is the renovation of the office and installing of an auto/smart toilet bowl more important than the gazetting of by-laws and appointment of a port operator?

"Wee clearly had his priorities misplaced!" said Chan, who succeeded Wee in January this year, in a statement today.

Contacted for details later, the lawmaker said he only managed to visit the office recently.

“After seeing it (the toilet) with my own eyes, it was quite impressive. When I lifted the toilet seat, it would automatically flush water... I've never seen something like this before,” he added.

He also showed Malaysiakini a video clip of the Toto branded toilet, which has an automatic lid and heated seats.

Yesterday, Wee challenged Victoria Utara DAP branch chairperson Wong Kwan Kit to lodge a report if there was any wrongdoing in LPA's decision to rent the office.

MCA spokesperson Chan Quin Er had defended Wee's record as the LPA head, saying any decisions made by the agency was approved by the entire board and not unilaterally decided by the chairperson.

LPA's empty office in Kuala Lumpur had come under the radar of the auditor-general as well, who noted in a report that the purpose of the office could not be established.

"The audit team found that the rented office had been renovated but without office equipment and furniture.

"Therefore, the objective in renting this office with a cost of RM526,836.96 (over three years) cannot be established," said the report.

The audit team recommended that the rental contract should be reviewed because it involved a "waste of public funds." - Mkini