GEORGE TOWN: Penang Gerakan has lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over allegations of graft and abuse of power over the chicken distribution monopoly issue here.
The report was lodged against the Penang government and the Penang Island City Council (MBPP).
State Gerakan complaints bureau chief H'ng Khoon Leng said the report was lodged online at 7.35am today.
They then proceeded to the state MACC headquarters at Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah here about 11am to submit supporting documents.
"We are asking the MACC to investigate this chicken scandal issue.
"We don't want the people to be affected should there be any elements of graft and abuse of power over the chicken distribution issue.
"We have repeatedly asked for explanation from the state government but only once a state executive council member attempted to explain," he said today.
On April 8, Penang Gerakan and the Gabungan Peniaga-Peniaga Ayam Pulau Pinang handed over a protest memorandum to Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow over the chicken distribution issue and the use of chiller, which they claimed burdened poultry sellers on the island.
Besides the handing over of the memorandum, more than 30 poultry sellers had also staged a peaceful gathering in Komtar to voice their objection against the ban on poultry slaughtering in MBPP premises effective next month.
Prior to this, MBPP had explained that there it was not forcing poultry sellers on the island to source for supply from the distribution centre in Batu Lanchang as initially claimed.
According to H'ng, they have raised 10 points for their complaints in the supporting documents to the MACC to facilitate a transparent probe.
"We can't reveal in detail the points but suffice say, we want the graftbuster to probe the awarding of the tenders to the appointed contractors.
"One of the tenders was given to a company with zero involvement in their poultry industry. By right, the tender should be awarded to those in the know-how of the poultry industry," he added.
He said there were also issues with the construction of the poultry distribution centre in the Batu Lanchang market.
"All we are asking is for the MACC to probe the matter thoroughly, especially since the project was awarded through Request For Proposal (RFP).
"Many other 'strange' things which we need the MACC to look into," he said.
In January this year, the New Straits Times reported that some 200 chicken sellers on the island were unhappy over a soon-to-be-implemented move by the MBPP to appoint a single company to supply chicken to all traders.
They claimed the move would result in the company, believed to be foreign based, monopolising the industry and controlling prices.
It was learnt that the company would set up its base in Batu Lanchang here.
The chicken sellers said they were told that they each needed to get a chiller, worth about RM12,000, to store the chickens from the said supplier.