My worthy opponent in Jelutong... ( 4 )
Coming back to the RM1 billion deal for Motorola, we called Koh Tsu Koon's bluff again.
I maintain that Tsi Koon is indeed a sad case of 拿米换番薯 ('exchanging rice for sweet potatoes').
The radio network used for intelligence agencies around the progressive world has since migrated to digital platform built on TETRA (TErrestrial Trunked RAdio), of which Motorola is a forerunner. TETRA uses open standard, is multi-vendored, and its interoperatability enhances performance during disaster. It further strengthens against eavesdropping of info-sensitive communications.
The EPU in the Prime Minister's Department has chosen TETRA and commissioned Sapura Holdings to built a digital radio communication network to be interoperatable among seven intelligence agencies in Malaysia. The project worth RM3.5 billion was awarded in January 2007. It's what is now regarded as Government Integrated Radio Network (GIRN).
The Motorola deployment of radio network runs on APCO16, a proprietary standard. The RM1 billion contract that Tsu Kook lobby on behalf of Motorola runs on APCO25, also a proprietary standard, is not well accepted in the global market as measured by technology adoption.
Why did Tsu Koon recommend a Motorola product that is a market reject while Motorola is a forerunner for TETRA?
Hence 拿米换番薯 ('exchanging rice for sweet potatoes').
The complete report of our press conference is available on Malaysiakini Chinese edition, As Malaysiakini is offering a one-week free reading, please surf the content for your own benefit.
在野党抨击拿次货保外劳饭碗 出示大桥涨价公函追问许子根 王德齐 | 3月5日 中午12点52分槟州在野党大爆料的效应持续发酵。除了继续炮轰原任槟州首席部长许子根以10亿令吉政府合约,换取著名电子公司摩多罗拉(Motorola) 再投资槟州3亿5千万令吉之外,人民公正党再次出示一封建议调涨槟威大桥过路费的公函,继续追问许子根。
尽管许子根坚称以10亿令吉挽留摩多罗拉是为了保住1万个工作“饭碗”,但是在野党却反驳说,摩多罗拉所投资的工厂其实属于劳力密集工业,这宗“拿米换蕃薯”交易的真正受益者是外劳,非本地子民。
行动党全国电子选战主任黄泉安表示,摩多罗拉在马来西亚所设立的工厂,其实只是一个组装线,因此大部分的工作机会都会落入外劳手中。
“我希望他可以重新探访这家工厂,告诉我们1万工作机会中,有多少是保留给大马人?他是否可以告诉我们,10亿令吉合约在摩多罗拉工厂组装线所制造的工作机会没有交给外劳?”
“许子根要求联邦政府发出10亿令吉的政府合约给摩多罗拉,其实是拿米换番薯。”
整合通讯系统需耗费60亿
黄泉安(左图)继称,摩多罗拉提供给马来西亚的只是旧科技产品,事实上该公司拥有崭新科技的产品,但却没有出售给我国。
他也引述传言说,如果政府一意孤行使用摩多罗拉的产品来提升通讯系统,就必须耗资至少60亿令吉来装置和整合有关系统。因此,整个计划的费用其实不止是合约上所注明的10亿令吉而已。
“你可能需要重新整合整个系统,它可能不只花费10亿令吉,传言说总开销可能达到60亿令吉。”
黄泉安指出,马来西亚警察部队现有使用的通讯系统被称为APCO16,无法直接提升到摩多罗拉所建议的新产品APCO25。这项产品属于封闭标准,无法和其他产商的产品相符。
“为何用人家弃用的系统?”
他也驳斥许子根指这项产品是全世界最好的说法,指只有很少国家还在采纳这项产品,大多数先进国家都已经转用数码化通讯系统TETRA。
“摩多罗拉也是TETRA系统的先驱,为什么许子根没有摩多罗拉给我们一个新科技产品,而是给我们一个已没人要的系统?”
许子根指出,阿都拉政府其实在2007年1月也已发出合约给沙布拉(Sapura)公司,耗资32亿5千万令吉在我国7家情报机构装置这项新系统。他证实,沙布拉公司就是他之前所说的N公司。
他也指出,TETRA系统使用开放标准,可以从不同产商获取其器材,因此能省下较多的开支,终好使用遭垄断的摩多罗拉产品。他指出,TETRA系统也更能保障安全。
用公款确保胜选是“贿赂”
黄泉安也表示,既然许子根承认在信中提及,若摩多罗拉因无法获得合约而宣布撤走,恐怕将对全国大选带来“灾难性的打击”,这根本就是使用纳税人金钱来确保国阵选胜的举动,属于一种“贿赂”的行径。
“我们谴责这项举动,这是一种贿赂。你尝试通过制造一片美景来买票,而你所花费的都是纳税人的钱,以挽留一家公司。”
许子根昨日已经否认这宗交易涉及贪污,并强调本身这么做没有错。他说,是基于保护槟州利益的立场,才会游说中央政府发出通讯合约来挽留摩多罗拉。他辩称这项交易其实是“拿番薯换米”,能为槟州人民带来更多的利益。
根据有关的合约,摩多罗拉以及其代理人Comintel公司,将获得总值10亿令吉政府合约,以供应和提升警察部队旧有的无线电通讯系统。
将写信给美国总公司投诉
出席今日新闻发布会的包括公正党槟州主席再林、公正党班台惹雅州议席候选人沈志勤、峇都茅州议席候选人阿都马力和峇都蛮州议席候选人拉文达兰。
再林则表示,这份公函显示槟州不再具备吸引外资的能力,意味着许子根一直都在欺骗人民,指外资继续到槟州投资。
“这只是获得曝光的其中一个案件。它的讯息是请不要再相信这些胡言乱语,整个问题并非只是摩多罗拉或现有的外资工厂撤资的问题,而是人们对大马不再抱持任何信心。”
他表示,政府应该先处理一些事关重大的问题,包括贪污案件和司法丑闻,以免打击外资对我国的信心。他也抨击许子根下令彻查这封机密公函的外泄经过和寻找吹哨者。
黄泉安也表示,他们将会写信给美国摩多罗拉总公司的投资委员会和美国投资经理,投诉有关跨国公司在大马的举动,确定这是否构成“反竞争力策略”(anti competitve strategies)。
NOTE: The part on cost escalation from RM1 billion to RM6 billion was wrongly attributed to this blogger. The figures was actually given by PKR's Penang chief Zahrain Mohamed Hashim and Sim Tze Tzin, special assistant to Anwar Ibrahim.
Motorola, toll issues: Opposition demands answers
Beh Lih Yi | Mar 5, 08 7:20pm
More questions continue to be posed to outgoing Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon over the controversial Motorola deal and an impending toll hike at the Penang bridge.
In a joint press conference today, opposition DAP and PKR questioned Koh on his confession yesterday that he had wrote a letter asking the federal government to strike the RM1 billion deal with the American telecommunications giant.
The chief minister said he had done so in order to protect the interest of Penangites and Malaysians, who risked losing up to 10,000 jobs should Motorola - which has a manufacturing facility in Penang’s Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone - pull out from the country.
"Tell us how many of the 10,000 jobs preserved are actually for Malaysians? Can he tell us whether the jobs in the Motorola production line had not been given to immigrants?" asked DAP’s Jelutong parliamentary seat candidate Jeff Ooi.
Ooi insisted that the deal reeked of corruption.
Going after the whistleblower
By inking the deal, Ooi claimed that the Gerakan-led state government was using taxpayers’ money to secure a victory in the elections.
"You are buying votes by creating beautiful pictures but you are (using) taxpayers’ money to make a company stay," argued the popular blogger-turned-politician.
Based on industry sources, he claimed that the deal would not only involve the RM1 billion as stated in Koh’s letter to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi but the actual cost might balloon to RM6 billion.
koh tsu koon motorola pc 040308 explainYesterday, Koh said he wrote to Abdullah on Dec 3 last year asking the government to offer a RM1 billion project to Motorola involving the upgrading of the police force's radio network.
This would be done in exchange for the multinational staying put in Penang and pumping in an additional investment of RM350 million over the next five years.
He denied that the deal was politically motivated in view of the March 8 general election as the opposition had been harping on the state’s waning economy, partly due to the relocation of multinationals to other countries.
Koh - who was surprised with the information pertaining to the confidential letter being leaked - has also ordered for a probe into this.
However, PKR’s Bayan Baru parliamentary seat candidate and the party’s Penang chief Zahrain Mohamed Hashim criticised the move.
"Whenever the true story comes out (highlighting) their weaknesses, they would direct the police and the authorities to investigate who is the whistleblower," he said.
Please give me the opportunity of pursuing this Tsu Koon scandal right up to the Parliament. There are more thinbgs to expose on Koh Tsu Koon and the Parliament is the appropriate venue.
Comments
Timely.
I am surprise that people that read Jeffooi previous blog refuse to do the simple math.
With the deal, Malaysia will have 1 analogue, 2 digital system for the public services. Within the 2 digital services, one open standard (TETRA) and another close lock in proprietary system (Motorola APCO25).
So what happen when the implementation go through. Just imagine the public services using 3 handset, APCO16, APCO24, TETRA. Malaysia Boleh!!!
Another blind spot people refuse to learn : High percentage of Malaysia manufacturing job already taken over by foreign worker. And Motorola Penang manufacturing line can't evade the such trend.
Bare in mind that, due to Intellectual property rights, knowledge of those "Malaysian motorola engineer", cannot transfer the knowledge.
So what is the added value?
Posted by: moo_t
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March 6, 2008 01:58 PM
Jeff,
This is a very good point. something i didnt know. i would have expected it was common sence to move into Tetra so its a good question why maintain Apco? Anyhow, it's worth mention, Apco was derived initilly for the american market and is still very strong in the America's. As of 3 years back, i didnt hear of any possible breakthrough in the US for Apco.
As for eavesdropping, i kinda disagree as with Tetra system standard release 5.0, there is an Etsi defined features called ambience listening which allows "legal" listening to any conversation that goes on between 2 Tetra handsets.
But then, in GSM, we also have a standard defined for legal intercept. But this is usually highly regulated by only 1 body in Government.
But since Tetra is public safety and will be used by all police and fireman, perhaps they feel they cant control the eavesdropping?
In that sence, perhaps i will side with Apco and its strong encryption.
But i would like to really know what was the real rational! Also, what on earth ahs Sapura got to do with Tetra? Ali baba? 3.5B? yucks..that smells!
Posted by: goks
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March 6, 2008 02:35 PM
More than a decade ago, the umno govt had already awarded a RM400 million radio-comm contract to Motorola; since that wasn't for the intelligence agencies in this gargantuan contract, you can add that sum, suitably inflated at present day prices, for the total sum awarded to Motorola - which has also moved out of Shah Alam.
Let's see what Badawi and his sidekicks have to say now about Malaysia's competitiveness.
Neil
tundraland.
Posted by: Neil
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March 7, 2008 08:47 AM
Congratulation !
But it is time to get down to thinking and how to generate fund for state government to run project (as not easy to get $ from Federal government) and increase the jobs and income of people in Penang...
1. Think hard to promote Penang (remember Pearl of East) as tourist spot again to generate more revenue - promote service industry etc
2. Lower airport tax to attract move budget airline to come to penang ...and spend more days and money there
Learn the good point from others like
read more Singapore newspaper to understand how they tackle the problems systematically
From
Malaysian working in Singapore
Posted by: FS
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March 11, 2008 10:06 PM