The DAP has planned a protest demonstration at the Kepong flyover at 10am on Sunday for local residents to air their frustrations over the closure of the 1.7km stretch and insufficient details about the situation.

This will be followed by a public ceramah at 7.30pm at the nearby Desa Complex in Bukit Maluri.

DAP national vice-chairperson and Kepong MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw said the protest would highlight public displeasure over the fiasco, especially the government's inability to provide a credible explanation.

"Based on the feedback I've received from affected residents, they are clearly angry over contradicting official statements, excuses and the lack of a proper explanation."

The Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) stretch between Taman Bukit Maluri and the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia interchanges was closed on Aug 8 after cracks were detected on the cross-head beams supporting the flyover.

Tan said the closure has not only left scores of motorists stranded in the traffic jam on a daily basis but has also raised public ire.

"Just let us know what exactly is happening. People are angry at being taken for a ride by (Works Minister S Samy Vellu) and the contractor. The minister's statement is ridiculous," he said.

"Whatever the outcome, the Public Works Department (PWD) cannot absolve itself of responsibility as it is the overall supervisor (of the flyover project). The contractor is also accountable for this."

No information

He said everyone, including the government, appears to be in the dark as to what caused the cracks.

"If (Works Minister) S Samy Vellu says the closure of the stretch is not due to design fault, why the need to spend RM20 million on repair work?" Tan asked.

"During the site visit by DAP members of Parliament on Monday, grouting work was being carried out on pier 32 and 33. I saw workers filling the cracks on the cross-head beams with epoxy resin."

Tan said there was no information on the cost of such repair works or the purpose of grouting the cracks when neither the government nor the contractor have so far identified the cause of the problem.

"At this point, nobody seems to know what is going on. We (DAP) have to meet Samy Vellu because there are many unanswered questions. We also need to talk to people and gauge public sentiment.

"Why does the government need to close down the flyover for three months if the cracks are not due to design fault?"

Tan also wanted the government to make public the reports of the German and Australian consultants involved in the project.

He suggested that an independent Malaysian consultant be appointed by the Institute of Engineers Malaysia to assess the situation.

"Why go overseas when Malaysian engineers are capable of handling the situation...unless this is a peculiar problem that needs specialised evaluation which can only be done by foreign engineering experts."

Safety concerns

Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai, who had gone on the DAP site visit, said locals from about 50 housing estates around the flyover were affected by the closure.

"They are concerned about whether it is safe to travel under the flyover. What we saw was merely cosmetic repairs. If the problem is due to structural flaws, then major repairs are needed."

He said work has stopped except for the grouting along the affected stretch, which has been barricaded at both ends.

Other DAP leader involved in the site visit were national chaiperson Lim Kit Siang, Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun and Selangor state chairperson Ong Chee Keng.

In a statement yesterday, Lim ( photo ) said he had sent a fax to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stating that the MRR2 issue is a test of his leadership and public stance on accountability, transparency and good governance.

"I asked Abdullah to allow the Cabinet to conduct serious reconsideration of the issue, as it is scandalous that the MRR2 flyover should develop cracks and have to be closed down within two years of completion," he said.

"(The flyover) should be able to meet international standards and last for 50 years without developing any structural problems."

Doubly scandalous, said the DAP chairperson, is the fact that the Malaysian public has yet to be given the full facts.

Lim urged the cabinet, at today's weekly meeting, to show full support to the Anti-Corruption Agency in conducting its probe into the RM238 million project in order to prevent any attempts at a cover-up.

"The cabinet should also ensure that all available information is released to the public, including the immediate publication of the expert report by the Australian consultant engaged by the contractors and the German consultant engaged by the PWD."

He said there is nothing much for the ACA to photograph now since most of the cracks have been patched up in a "cosmetic effort to create the public illusion that something is being done".

"But this is not the case as the structural defects causing the cracks are not being rectified," he added.

He said it was imperative for the cabinet to answer all the questions pertaining to the cracks, contract and rectification works.

Lim also questioned the cabinet's support of Same Vellu's refusal through the PWD to accept the German consultant's recommendations, which reportedly differ from those of the Australian consultant.

He said Samy Vellu has instead chosen to question the German consultant's authority and independence, leading to the appointment of a second government consultant.

The opposition leader asked the government to explain the basis of the RM20 million repair proposal given Samy Vellu's statement that "the authorities have yet to determine the cause" of the cracks even as he maintained that it was not a design failure.