As a strong advocate of sustainable and environmentally-responsible public transportation systems, I had been following with keen interest the development of Penang’s monorail project.

It was reported by a local business newspaper several weeks ago that the state government had selected MRail Sdn Bhd for a privately-funded monorail project. The newspaper further reported that the company would be building a RM70 million, 30-acre test track on the Penang mainland to prove the viability of its system before commissioning.

Ironically, the DAP-led Penang state government, which prides itself on its CAT (Competency, Accountability and Transparency) principles, had repeatedly refused to comment on the report for weeks. And when it finally did, the public was left more confused than enlightened.

Deputy Chief Minister II Professor P Ramasamy was quoted as saying that two companies had been given approval to build separate one kilometre long monorail test tracks. He also revealed that the tracks will be built on state land and the companies would not be charged for it. The purpose, according to Ramasamy, was to ‘assess if the monorail is feasible or compatible for Penang’.

A few days later in the state assembly, the state’s Public Works, Utilities and Transport Committee Chairperson Lim Hock Seng completely contradicted Ramasamy. He claimed the site would be for a monorail cab assembly and test track for interested buyers from abroad and not for the Penang monorail project. According to Hock Seng, the monorail cabs would be manufactured in China and the assembly would take place at the Penang site.

When finally Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng commented on the issue, he confirmed the selection of MRails Sdn Bhd but inexplicably refused to name the second company that was selected for the ‘cab assembly and test track’ project.

Unfortunately, all these confusing and contradictory statements plus the secrecy only served to lend credence to claims that the state is trying to cover up and hide the truth from the public. The public certainly has the right to know the full details of this monorail project.

It is imperative that the state government come clean and be fully transparent and truthful about the whole affair as their account of the issue so far just does not make any sense at all. The DAP- led state government’s version that the site is for a monorail cab assembly is illogical since the company in question has no orders in hand for them to build an assembly plant.

It indeed would be very foolish to assemble and test monorail cabs and then export them since it would be very costly and introduce additional technical and logistical complexities. Such a practice is unheard of in the industry.

For a start, Lim Guan Eng must explain why there was no open tender system practiced in the selection process. It is a common knowledge that many local companies with far more experience, financial strength, track record and technical expertise are keen to participate in the monorail project yet for unknown reasons they were excluded from Penang’s opaque selection process.

Guan Eng also should justify the rationale behind according MRails preferential treatment in providing free state land worth tens of millions ringgit. There are companies that have invested billions of ringgit in Penang yet none received the same special treatment.

Guan Eng’s unprecedented action has also given rise to serious accusations of cronyism especially so in the light of allegations that certain state leaders have close relationship with individuals connected to the company.

Guan Eng should further make public the name of the second company that has received the state’s nod and also disclose the terms of approval and details of investments of both companies. This will enable the public to assess if the chief minister has been impartial, fair and responsible in his unprecedented action of giving away state land worth several tens of millions of ringgit to the benefit of private companies.

Such a disclosure is very important, as the proposed ‘plant’ is merely an assembly and not a manufacturing site with low value-added. Certainly, we do not wish to end up subsidising the foreign countries that might purchase these monorails by providing exorbitant and excessive incentives.

Unfortunately, this episode once again seems to suggest that Lim’s much hyped CAT principle is a mere public relations tool used as window-dressing instead of being a foundational framework for good governance that is to be implemented and executed.