DAP slammed over inconsistencies
GEORGE TOWN: Penang Barisan Nasional chairman Teng Chang Yeow has once again trained his guns on the DAP-led Penang government over the latter’s response on its proposed RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel project.
He said controversy over the project, which comprises an undersea tunnel and three paired roads, had been marred by inconsistencies in the state government’ s response son the matter.
He expressed surprise that state Local Government, Traffic Management and
Flood Mi ti g at io on Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow had been tasked with answering questions pertaining to the project.
The move, he said, was surprising given that state Works, Transportation and Utilities Committee chairman Lim Hock Seng was the executive council member in charge of answering related questions over the last few years.
Teng noted that the state government had, in its previous answers in the state assembly sit- tings, maintained that Consortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd, together with China Railway Construction Corporation International (CRCC) and Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG), were the companies appointed to undertake the project’s feasibility studies and detailed design works (FSDD).
“Now, the state government is saying there are 15 companies for the undersea tunnel project and 19 companies for the three paired roads.
“So, is the state government saying that all their answers in the state assembly on this issue over the years were false and misleading?”
Teng asked if he should rely only on the Penang Public Accounts Committee (PAC)’s report, which he said was not an investigative report, but one by the State Economic Planning Unit to the committee, outlining the entire project and cost.
He opined that the answers provided in the state assembly were “misleading”.
“We will hold another press conference to expose these mis- leading answers.
“In such a situation, we can’t accept the answers given by the state government as being true.”
Teng added that the state government’s reply yesterday did not dispute or reject CRCC’s US$22 million or RM69.3million contract announcement.
The difference in the figures was first exposed by state Gerakan acting Youth chief Jason Loo a fewyears ago.
Loo was then slapped with a defamation suit by Consortium Zenith BUCG.
“Shockingly, in their threat to take legal action against Loo, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was present. Lim’s presence gave the impression that the state government endorsed the action. Is that correct in the eyes of the public?
“Why, then, did the state government allow Consortium Zenith BUCG to take legal action against Loo for exposing the difference of the figures between CRCC’s US$22 million or RM69.3 million and the state government’s figure of RM305 million?
“Now, is the state government not rejecting or disputing, but confirming the figure as part of the many companies undertaking the FSDD?”