Reach an amicable solution
wrangling between MMCGamuda and the Finance Ministry is distressing.
I was among the few fortunate Malaysians who were involved in the final stages of the construction of Channel Tunnel (the rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent, in the United Kingdom, with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, France, (1988-1994) during a stint in London.
Tunnel design is a specialised field and there were not many tunnels in Malaysia at that time.
As our nation progressed, we saw more tunnels being built, like the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel.
It was a wonderful experience in transfer of technology to local engineers, and Malaysia today can claim to be a world leader in tunnelling technology in an underground confined space.
From Gamuda’s press statement, it can be surmised that the company is trying to protect its home turf in a specialised field that it does best.
The Finance Ministry is doing its best to manage mega construction projects to ensure that they are fairly budgeted and in accordance with the nation’s affordability, given the current economic conditions.
A balance has to be struck where the government must squeeze out excesses and cronyism, while ensuring that Malaysian companies and workers are not denied a chance to work on the underground portion of MRT2.
I believe the ministry would seek further negotiations with Gamuda to reduce costs.
I sympathise with Gamuda; it has completed 40 per cent of the tunnels and fears that if the contract is terminated, the job will be taken over by another company, or worse, by foreigners.
I hope an amicable solution can be reached between the ministry and the contractor to benefit the country and its people.