Kumpulan Semesta chairman defends company pay-out

By Shahrim Tamrin
http://www.mmail.com.my/content/38621-kumpulan-semesta-chairman-defends-company-payout

SHAH ALAM: Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB) non-executive chairman Abdul Shukor Nagor today defended the company's decision to give two months bonus in 2008 and four months bonus end of last year as due reward for hard work and the "threats" they had to endure.

"We took into consideration that our staff have been working diligently despite the work hazard, stress and threats received while performing their duties," he told the Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency (Selcat) inquiry this morning.

Abdul Shukor said 45 KSSB personnel had received RM503,613.59 for financial year June 2009, and RM137,500 at the end of 2008, which included top management as well as the directors.

But Selangor State Assembly Speaker Teng Chang Kim, who is the inquiry's chief panellist, was not impressed with Abdul Shukor's answer that the bonuses were given because of work hazard and threats.

"Did you receive the four months bonus?" Teng asked. Abdul Shukor replied, "Yes."

Abdul Shukor admitted he received a bonus of RM48,000 while KSSB executive director Ramli Abdul Majid received RM82,000 for the duration from September 2008 to June 2009, respectively.

But when Teng asked Abdul Shukor if he himself had received any threats while working, the latter replied "no".

Teng also requested for Abdul Shukor to justify why the board of directors and three senior managers received four months' bonus payout while the rest of the KSSB frontliner staff were only given one-and-a-half month bonus.

"You mentioned yesterday that sand-mining industry is difficult, shouldn't bigger bonuses be given to frontliner staff?" asked Teng. To this, Abdul Shukor kept mum.

The chairman later said KSSB officers have been working hard and able to contribute dividends of RM5.7 million and RM10.1 million in profit to the state government via the Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) after KSSB generated RM31 million in revenue for 2009.

"We were able to increase the operations year after year. In 2002, it was only at 446 tonnes (of sand) per day, then in 2009 it was 4,922 tonnes daily," said Abdul Shukor.

"This year, we recorded per day at 8,417 tonnes in January; 12,508 tonnes in February; 19,677 tonnes in March, and 18,912 tonnes in April."

Abdul Shukor also reiterated that there is no monopoly in the sand-mining industry in Selangor.

Responding to a question from Hulu Kelang assemblyman Saari Sungib, if KSSB had exclusive control on sand-mining operations in Selangor, Abdul Shukor said: "I strongly disagree with your question and the people's perception. Please bear in mind, we were not the ones issuing the permits, controlling the transport sector and setting the market price for sand."

Abdul Shukor is the third witness to speak before the Selcat inquiry. Yesterday, State chairman for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Entrepreneurial Development Yaakob Sapari, as well as KSSB director Ramli Abdul Majid, took centre stage.

Aside from Teng and Saari, other panellists in the Selcat inquiry are Haniza Talha (PKR-Taman Merdan), Azmin Ali (PKR-Bukit Antarabangsa), Edward Lee Poh Lin (DAP-Bukit Gasing), Ismail Sani (BN-Dusun Tua) and Sulaiman Abdul Razak (BN-Permatang).