PETALING JAYA: The Penang government’s answers to the many questions about the Penang undersea tunnel have been unsatisfactory, says Barisan Nasional strategic communications director Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan.
The Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister said the responses to his queries appeared to be answers that were “beating about the bush” and “irresponsible”.
He said despite Penang Works Committee chairman and Bagan Jermal assemblyman Lim Hock Seng’s media statements and press conference on May 25, the answers given were unsatisfactory.
“On three occasions, I had asked whether it was true that the land given to Consortium Zenith-BUCG (CZBUCG) was immediately sold or agreed to be sold at prices between RM845psf to RM1,300psf. I also cited proof of such an agreement,” Abdul Rahman said in a statement.
“Instead of giving me a proper answer, YB Lim persisted with his insistence that the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH) valuation had valued the land in question at RM475psf – and left it at that.
“Upon being pressed a fourth time, YB Lim then gave the surprising answer that any sale of land between CZBUCG and third-parties was a ‘private transaction’,” he said.
Abdul Rahman said the answer was “irresponsible” as the Penang DAP government had already paid in part and agreed to transfer state land to the private company.
“That company then immediately signed to sell the land to another company at prices up to three times higher than the JPPH valuation.
“This was the very same valuation that YB Lim insisted was the land value. He then brushed me off by saying that the sale was a private transaction,” said Abdul Rahman.
He also pointed out that the Penang government seemed to be paying for the full construction cost of the project, but still allowed the company to collect on a 30-year toll concession.
“I then suggested that this was an unprecedented arrangement never before seen in any other concession agreement in Malaysia – or the world,” he said.
“When asked if the full construction cost was paid for via the land transfer, YB Lim gave differing answers.
“At first he said the reason was that the Penang government had no expertise in maintaining the tunnel.
“In a later press statement, however, he said the company was also funding the construction cost and that it needed the toll revenue to recover its investment,” said Abdul Rahman.
He said when pressed further, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng “flip-flopped” in announcing that he might consider dropping the tunnel project to save RM2bil and do away with the 30-year toll if the Federal Government approved a third bridge instead.
“This is indeed a bizarre turn of events. At first, YAB Lim (Guan Eng) accused the Federal Government of not approving a third bridge. But when the Works Minister denied that there was any such application or request from the Penang government, YAB Lim said it was because he was not brave enough to send the request in the first place.”
Abdul Rahman said that the chief minister subsequently wrote a letter to the Prime Minister instead of the Works Ministry, which was the usual process to seek approval for a third bridge.
“However, he refuses to submit any documents to support his application. This highly-politicised application letter, together with the refusal to submit any documents to support the application leads us to conclude that YAB Lim is not sincere about the third bridge,” he said.
