If MCA minister Wee Ka Siong continues to jump from one lie to another, the undersea tunnel issue will not be resolved until next year, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said.

He added that Wee's claims about the 7.2km tunnel project, which includes three major highways, have been rubbished by the Penang government, with proof.

Lim also expressed regret that Wee has been unable to prove his earlier claims before embarking on another one against the RM6.3 billion tunnel, which will link Penang island with Butterworth on the mainland.

"Instead of responding to these (claims), he jumps to another lie; he keeps jumping and jumping," Lim told reporters after a visit to the Ayer Itam constituency today.

Lim was responding to Wee (photo) who asked the chief minister and DAP secretary-general yesterday to clarify if he was aware that Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) did not own 10 percent of the shares in Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd, the special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the project.

The MCA deputy chief also asked if BUCG had the minimum RM381 million paid-up capital to qualify for an award under Penang's open tender committee.

BUCG, which was part of Consortium Zenith, was dropped from the SPV after a fatal crane accident involving the company in Kuala Lumpur in 2016.

Lim urged Wee to prove his claim that BUCG did not own 10 percent of the shares at the time the tender was awarded to Zenith in 2013.

Wee was also asked to prove that BUCG did not have the required capital of RM381 million at the time Zenith was awarded the tender.

"This time, Wee's accusation does not only target me but targets the state secretary Farizan Darus (photo) and state officials who sit on the tender committee," Lim said.

"These government officers are not like MCA leaders, they comply with the requirements of the tender board because that is the law. They would not dare to go against the law.

"The decision to award Zenith the project was not made by me or state executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow," he stressed.

Chow's portfolio covers local government, traffic management and flood mitigation.

Lim then told Wee to exercise some "dignity and ethics" before making any allegations or uttering slander against the Penang government.

"He said the tunnel's main contractor, China Railway Construction Corporation, is a shareholder of the SPV. We proved him wrong.

"He said CRCC's agreement and acknowledgement of commitment with the state government and Zenith were not stamped, and we also proved him wrong," Lim said.

"So, prove now that BUCG did not have the 10 percent shares or RM381 million paid-up capital when Zenith was awarded the project," Lim challenged.

"Wee is really shameless, he is not ashamed but we feel ashamed for him," Lim added.

Read: KiniGuide on the Penang undersea tunnel project