Give us RM36b MRT project, says Malay chamber

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia has asked the government to hand over the RM36 billion Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project, the country's biggest infrastructure project, to the chamber.

The chamber said it would undertake the mega project in collaboration with other contractors' associations.

"We'll implement the whole project in collaboration with other contractors' associations on a joint-venture basis or by acquiring the companies involved in the massive project," said chamber president Syed Ali Alatas.

He said the project, currently managed by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd (SPNB), had imposed several conditions to companies intending to bid for the project, which seemed difficult for bumiputera contractors.

Among the conditions that seemed to block opportunities for bumiputeras are not allowing them to team up with any company at any stage and the requirement for RM10 million paid-up capital, he told a news conference. Syed Ali was giving feedback from the chamber's members on the MRT slated for completion in 2020.

With the tough conditions stipulated by SPNB, Syed Ali said only 37 companies or bumiputera contractors out of the 16,000 members of the Malay Contractors' Association of Malaysia would be able to bid for the project.

Association president Datuk Mokhtar Samad said the association urged the government to re-visit the conditions to enable more Malay contractors or bumiputeras to part take in the project.

"We hope the government will allow joint ventures or consortiums of bumiputera contractors to enable them to be involved in the project," he said.

"We are now holding on to the assurance given by SPNB Group managing director Shahril Mokhtar that bumiputera contractors will not be left out of participating in the massive development project," he added. — Bernama