Tony PuaKUALA LUMPUR (Nov 10): The DAP’s Tony Pua (pictured) said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai’s response to East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) pricing criticisms proved that he is the most clueless Transport Minister.

In a statement today Pua, who is DAP national publicity secretary and MP for Petaling Jaya Utara said a cursory analysis has shown the project to be the most expensive in the world at RM91.7 million per kilometer.

“Malaysians including myself have heavily criticised the RM55 billion contract with China’s state owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) to build the 600km East Cost Rail Link.

“The Edge, for example, cited the examples of the 215km Padma rail line in Bangladesh and 120km Mombasa rail link in Kenya which were being constructed by China Rail Construction Corp for RM68.1 million and RM61.4 million per kilometer respectively.

“For another project in Ethoipia awarded to Turkish contractor, Yapi Merkezi, the 375km Awash-Weldia railway line of which more than 40% is built on challenging terrain, the cost was only US$1.7 billion or RM18.1 million per kilometer.

“Similarly for local rail double-tracking projects, the 329km Ipoh-Padang Besar and 179km Gemas-Johor Bahru links were awarded for RM44.0 million and RM39.8 million per kilometer respectively,” he said.

Quoting a report from a local English daily, Pua said Liow was reported as saying that the government would disclose the exact cost in a transparent manner when the project is implemented.

 “Datuk Seri Liow’s response only goes to prove that he is indeed clueless over the entire ECRL project award exercise.

“It was not the opposition Members of Parliament who have come up with the figure of RM55 billion as the cost of the 600km rail project.  It was the Finance and Prime Minister himself, Datuk Seri Najib Razak who has announced the value of the project during his 2017 Budget speech which was televised to the whole nation,” said Pua.

Pua stressed that Najib’s exact words were “the 600-km rail will connect townships such as Port Klang, ITT Gombak, Bentong, Mentakab, Kuantan, Kemaman, Kerteh, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu and ends in Tumpat, with an estimated cost of RM55 billion.”

Pua added that even the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan who is in-charge of the Economic Planning Unit – who is directly involved with the ECRL project award is not disputing the cost of the project.

He said Rahman Dahlan was instead merely trying to dispel the widespread acknowledgement that at RM91.7 million per kilometer, it is the most expensive in the world.

“Worse, even if the Transport Minister’s allegation that the price hasn’t been any where near finalised is indeed true, then it begs the question as to why the Government of Malaysia has signed the contract with a contractor before the price was concluded?

“Not only did the Government fail to conduct any open and competitive tender to award the project to ensure that the tax-payers received their value for money, Datuk Seri Liow is saying that the Government has signed a multi-billion ringgit contract with a foreign company without even first negotiating the price of the project!” said Pua.

The lawmaker concluded by saying that if the Transport Minister is really transparent, and not merely claiming transparency, the he should immediately make available to the public the contracts which has been signed with CCCC and the project financier China Exim Bank, as well as the past cost and feasibility studies which have been carried out by Government-appointed consultants on the project. — theedgemarkets.com

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