Two firms for Papar Dam?

KOTA KINABALU: The proposed Papar Dam project which has drawn strong protests from the native communities living in the vicinity of the site appears to be proceeding.

Yesterday, several pictures were posted on the social media, showing two companies, namely Vizione Holdings Bhd (VHB) and Pembinaan Maju Cemerlang Sdn Bhd (PMCSB) as having been reportedly shortlisted by the Sabah Water Department (SWD) to design and build the mega dam, estimated to cost around RM2 billion.

According to The Edge Markets’ online report, both companies had jointly accepted the Letter of Intent (LoI) from the SWD.

VHB was reported to have said that the capacity of the dam can provide the people of Sabah with a strategic water resource that can supply the water needs of Kota Kinabalu and the west coast of Sabah for the next 50 years.

The proposed Papar Dam project has as expected become a hot issue as locals and environmentalists have objected to it due to concerns over its social and environmental impact on Penampang and Papar districts.

Diana Sipail of Taskforce against Kaiduan, now Papar Dam (Takad), had told The Borneo Post that the local communities have been working very hard handing over memorandums to various ministries to express their protest.

Even Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) geologist, Professor Dr. Felix Tongkul, was reported to have briefed Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, that the proposed dam is not the best solution for future supply of water, but that may not have been convincing enough.

According to the company’s website, Vizione Group is an integrated construction outfit with capabilities in civil engineering and construction of residential and mixed use development properties.

There is, however, no website found on Pembinaan Maju Cemerlang Sdn Bhd, a company that was reportedly formed in September last year.

According to pictures widely shared on Facebook and WhatsApp groups, both directors, from Tawau and Luyang, are 37 years old and that their appointments were only on September last year and September this year respectively.

A number of Sabah NGOs protesting the dam shared the news on their social media with a simple caption ‘RED ALERT’. However, no official statements has been issued by any NGOs from the community at press time.

An anti-corruption watchdog, Geram, has reportedly issued a statement calling on the Prime Minister and the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC) to intervene in the case to ensure there is no element of corruption.