THE RM32.4 million three-year contract deal was not to supply flowers and plants to City Hall’s office tower in Jalan Raja Abdullah, but to various areas in the city centre.

Mayor Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail said among the places where the flowers were planted was along Jalan Parlimen.

He said under the contract, the flowers planted would be changed every month and the cost was RM900,000 a month.

Ahmad Fuad was clarifying a news report on a RM32.4 million three-year contract deal to beautify and decorate City Hall’s office tower in Jalan Raja Abdullah.

An English daily had last week reported that the deal, which cost City Hall RM900,000 a month for the delivery of flowers, was signed by officials of the Federal Territories (FT) Ministry under the tenure of then mayor Datuk Ab Hakim Borhan.

The report that quoted sources revealed that the flowers which were delivered every week adorned the entrances to the building as well as the officers of several senior officers including that of the FT minister.

The report had stated that the deal had since come to an end after intervention by Ahmad Fuad who had been quoted as saying that the contract had been terminated last month.

The English daily also reported that the company involved was Syarikat Mulia and Brightmark Sdn Bhd.
Ahmad Fuad told Malay Mail yesterday that the contract was not terminated by him, but it had instead ended in February.

“The contract which was entered into three years ago, is also not one which was to supply flowers to City Hall’s building in Jalan Raja Abdullah but to supply flowers in various areas in the City centre,” he said.

“However, at that time (when the contract expired) we felt that to renew the contract would be too costly, and after meetings with my officers we decided that we would be able to plant flowers and other plants on our own.

“Of course we want KL to be beautiful, filled with plants and flowers but due to the financial constraints we faced at that time, it was a better option for us to obtain the seedlings and plant them ourselves.

“We also discussed about the type of flowers and other plants that can last up to three years to be planted. My officers said that City Hall was able to carry out the task,” he said.

Ahmad Fuad said that the task of planting flowers and plants had since been taken over by City Hall.

“Although there is going to be some additional overtime claims made by City Hall staff, (as previously all these plants were planted by workers of the company engaged to do it) but still it was a more viable choice for us,” he added.

Ahmad Fuad clarified that there was no “hanky-panky” when the contract expired, and the reason why the company no longer supplied flowers was because City Hall’s contract with them had ended.

Asked about the local daily’s report, Ahmad Fuad said there had been a misunderstanding.

“There would be legal implications for City Hall if we decided to simply terminate a contract. The contract ended in February and I did not terminate it last month, as reported.”

Earlier, before speaking to Ahmad Fuad, Malay Mail was alerted by Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai, that he planned to lodge a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) against Ab Hakim and City Hall and other parties concerned in the alleged RM32.4 million three-year contract to supply flowers to City Hall’s headquarters in Jalan Raja Abdullah.

Tan had said that it was vital that the rakyat be given the real picture on how the deal was secured as the price of the contract was too high for a mere decorating exercise.

“How can the cost of decorating a building be so high until it costs RM900,000 a month? Is this what the taxpayers money is being used for? There should be a probe,” Tan said.

Based on the English daily report, Tan said that although Ahmad Fuad had intervened and put an end to the contract, ending the matter there itself was not right.

“The Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister (Datuk) Raja Nong Chik (Raja Zainal Abidin ) had in a report in the Chinese Press said that the matter would not be pursued, and this should not be the case as we believe there has been an abuse of power,” Tan said.

Malay Mail contacted Tan to relate to him Ahmad Fuad’s clarification, but Tan said he was still pursuing the matter.

“If that is the case, then why did Raja Nong Chik say he didn’t want to pursue the matter?”

Tan is expected to make his report to the MACC at 11am today at its office in Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin.

At Press time attempts by Malay Mail to contact Raja Nong Chik for comment failed.