Report lodged on water project

S’wak DAP urges MACC to probe alleged irregularities in RM850mil plan

SIBU: Sarawak DAP vice-chairman David Wong Kee Woan has lodged a report on alleged irregularities involving RM850,989,967.70 in relation to the Tanjung Manis water pipeline project.

Met by newsmen prior to making the report at the Malaysian AntiCorruption Commission (MACC) office here yesterday, Wong said he made the report based on answers given to him by the Sarawak Minister for Utilities in the State Assembly.

“According to the answers, the irregularities appear to make the whole project a white elephant, meaning it is unusable and a waste of taxpayer money,” he said.

Wong, who is the Pelawan assemblyman, was accompanied to the MACC office by Bukit Assek assemblyman Irene Chang, Pujut assemblyman Dr Ting Tiong Choon and several party members.

He said the whole project, to be implemented in eight packages, had been awarded to eight different contractors through direct negotiation, which he claimed may have cost tens of millions of ringgit more in taxpayer money.

“According to the Sarawak Ministry for Utilities, the reason for not calling for an open tender was due to the urgency to complete the project.

“However, there is already a two- year delay in the project’s delivery,” said Wong.

The delay has affected the halal hub in Tanjung Manis in which the Sarawak government had invested up to RM1.14bil, he claimed.

He said the second to eighth packages were physically completed around in 2016 but the overall testing and commissioning of the completed works had yet to be carried out due to the problem with the first package.

“Because of that, we don’t even know whether Package No. 2 to Package No. 8 is problem-free.

“If there were feasibility studies or the feasibility studies had been conducted and the Ministry for Utilities had taken them seriously, the project would not be deemed feasible and hundreds of millions of ringgit would not be wasted on the project,” said Wong.

According to the Sarawak Ministry for Utilities, the reason for not calling for an open tender was due to the urgency to complete the project. David Wong Kee Woan

— Bernama Briefing the press: Wong (in white) speaking to newsmen prior to lodging the report at the MACC office at Wisma Persekutuan. Looking on are Chang (left) and Dr Ting ( Wong’s left).