‘What’s your daughter’s role in Taib’s company, George?’

KUCHING: Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) president and deputy chief minister Dr George Chan’s denial that he had links to Titanium Sdn Bhd has come under ridicule from DAP today.

“Don’t tell me Chan does not have any link with Elisa Chan…is he denying she is his daughter?” asked a bemused DAP state secretary Chong Chieng Jen.

Elisa Chan, who is known by her Muslim name Anisa Hamidah Abdullah, owns 12 percent of shares in the Mornada Sdn Bhd, a company managed by Titanium and owned by Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s children.

Elisa is Kota Samarahan MP Sulaiman Taib’s wife. Elisa is believed to have shares worth about RM38 million in the company.

“How can Chan deny any link with Titanium projects unless he denies his link to his daughter?

“I give Chan 24 hours to explain his connection with Elisa, and if he fails, I will expose and produce all the documentary evidence,” Chong said.

Chong said that he had revealed about Monarda being given prime land some months ago, but Chan chose to ignore it.

“Only now he wants to deny it because it is election time,” he said.

Titanium, which is owned and operated by Taib’s son Mahmud Abu Bekir, was in the spotlight in 2000 when it was awarded RM551 million contract to build 384 bridges in Sarawak.

The company however only managed to construct 332 bridges, having been unable to complete the balance 62.

RM1 billion rip-off

According to Chong, in 2006 Titanium submitted a claim for RM947 million and the state government in a contra deal alienated 269 hectares land (in three parcels) near BDC to Monarda, a company managed by Titanium, at a discounted price of RM80 million.

According to Chong the actual worth of the land is around RM400 million.

“The alienation of the land is part of the bargain to contra the debt the government owed to Titanium. We Sarawakians have been double ripped off.

“First, Titanium built less bridges, but it over-claimed by more than RM400 million.

“Second, the government alienated prime land at a discounted price at RM80 million, whereas the land should have cost about RM400 million.

“All in all, we are being ripped off nearly RM1 billion,” he said.