Most Read
Most Commented
Read more like this
story images
story images
mk-logo
News
Liow abused post as transport minister with CRCC, claims CM
Published:  Feb 8, 2018 9:24 AM
Updated: 7:31 AM

MCA president Liow Tiong Lai has been accused in Penang for allegedly abusing his powers as transport minister when he approached a Chinese firm over its involvement with the state’s undersea tunnel project.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Liow may have "abused" his powers to talk to China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) and "suddenly" issue a press statement on behalf of the Chinese firm.

"Liow confirmed that CRCC is the main contractor and not a shareholder.

"Why is Liow using his public position to settle private scores, and forgetting his position as minister, and becoming CRCC’s spokesperson instead?" Lim asked in a statement today.

On Tuesday, Liow issued a statement confirming that CRCC was never a shareholder of the tunnel project's special purpose vehicle (SPV) as claimed by some detractors, and confirmed it is the project's main contractor.

This echoes what Lim had been replying to BN leaders who have incessantly queried the nature of the firm's involvement in the project.

Liow's statement came after the BN minister met CRCC's top officials during his recent visit to Beijing to attend the 1st Asia-Pacific ministerial conference on civil aviation and bilateral meeting.

Lim said Liow’s confirmation only vindicated the state government as having been truthful about CRCC’s status as the main contractor in the Penang government’s mega transport project.

He said only MCA minister and the party's deputy chief, Wee Ka Siong (photo), has been insisting that the state government had stated that CRCC was a shareholder of the tunnel's SPV, Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd.

"Unlike Wee, I do not run and hide but answer Wee’s lies upfront," said Lim.

'Sabotage delaying project'

Yesterday, he said Wee's so-called solid proof that the chief minister had claimed CRCC is the SPV's shareholder in the state's newsletter Buletin Mutiara in March 2013, had "gone up in a puff".

Lim denied ever making the claim, maintaining repeatedly that CRCC is the project's main contractor, and a joint venture company, which has signed an agreement and acknowledgement of commitment with Penang and Zenith to complete the tunnel.

The RM6.3 billion project, comprising three major highways and a 7.2km undersea tunnel connecting the island to the mainland, is due to start construction by 2023 and be completed by 2027.

But now Lim says the project, which was designed to address the state's traffic woes, may be delayed due to "interference and sabotage" by MCA leaders, which the latter had profusely denied.

It is also the subject of a major investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), which has questioned over 70 individuals and detained four related to the project.

While sources, reportedly from MACC, told several mainstream dailies of possible alleged kickbacks given to politicians linked to the project, Lim has repeatedly asked "where is the element of corruption" as the contract was awarded to Zenith via an open tender in 2013.

ADS