IPOH: There is no favouritism in choosing contractors as projects are awarded through a voting process, says Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.
"There is no stamp on any certificate indicating whether someone is from the ruling party or the Opposition.
"The projects are awarded through a voting process, whether it's a RM100,000 or RM50,000 project. During the voting, there is no marking (to indicate that the project is) for the Opposition or government," he said after the Mapex launching ceremony on Oct 4 (Friday).
Whoever submits a project for tender, added Saarani, is chosen through the voting process.
"You can't say someone won because they are from the government or lost because they are from the opposition.
"It (favouritism) doesn’t happen as it's a fair vote and the tender board doesn’t know which party the contractors are from," he said.
On Sept 29, Sungai Manik assemblymen Datuk Zainol Fadzi Paharudin had urged the state government not to show favoritism in giving opportunities to Class F contractors in the state for projects.
He claimed that there were complaints from entrepreneurs, especially class F contractors, that they were not getting proper opportunities from the state government.
On another matter, Saarani said Perak is one of the states with the fastest recovery in the real estate and tourism sector since the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The Covid-19 pandemic destroyed various economic sectors and the real estate and tourism are among those that were severely affected.
"We are grateful that the state has become one of the fastest states for recovery," he said.
"Now, Perak is again attracting the attention of domestic and foreign investors in various economic sectors. It illustrates that we are on the right track in strengthening the state's economic engine."
