The MCA has slammed Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy for resorting to "racial provocation" to shield the DAP-led administration for allegedly lying about the undersea tunnel project.

MCA publicity spokesperson Ti Lian Ker said Ramasamy's latest attempt to bring in the racial element by equating the Chinese to second or third class citizens” is "classic DAP race-based toxic politics".

Ti asked in a statement: "What have the Chinese got to do with the DAP’s alleged lying and abuses of power in a debate on the DAP’s undersea tunnel scandal?

"This is totally uncalled for from a party that advocates race-free politics and promised zero corruption under the Competency, Accountability and Transparency (CAT) governance."

Ti was referring to Ramasamy's comment piece yesterday that MCA's criticism was not so much on the Penang tunnel project, but that the state government is led by the DAP.

In his article, Ramasamy (photo) went on to say: "But unfortunately, to start off with, MCA enjoys no credibility with the Chinese community.

"In fact, MCA and Gerakan have been faulted for reducing the Chinese Malaysians to be second or third class citizens of the country."

But Ti, who is also an MCA central executive committee member, said the party has successfully called DAP’s bluffs and exposed its "lies and spins" on the tunnel issue.

'MCA provided empirical evidence'

He claimed MCA has provided "empirical evidence" against DAP on the Penang undersea tunnel via the state's Buletin Mutiara announcements, statements by state executive councillors, searches at the Companies Commission of Malaysia and news reports.

"DAP is now caught with its pants down that it chooses to divert a factual debate by name calling and now racial taunting," added Ti, who is also MCA religious harmony bureau chief.

The Penang government has been persistently attacked by BN leaders over the RM6.3 billion 7.2km tunnel project which is being planned to connect the island with Butterworth on the mainland.

The criticisms have led to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission querying more than 70 individuals, including two state executive councillors, while four high-ranking officials have been nabbed to assist in the probe.

Awarded to Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd in 2013 via an open tender process, the undersea tunnel is slated for construction in 2023 and due to be completed in 2027.

China's construction giant - China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd (CRCC) - is the project's main contractor while Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG) was part of Zenith when the deal was inked in 2013.

Penang MCA chief Tan Teik Hing now claims the tunnel project is undergoing "tremendous pressure" as the two China firms are allegedly not interested in the project.

BUCG was dropped from Zenith after a fatal crane accident in Kuala Lumpur in 2016.

"But Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has been proudly making references to the two China firms.

"This is his deliberate attempt to make use of this obvious one-sided love affair to enhance his image," Tan said.

He added: "BUCG had lost interest in the project since the early stage, and its withdrawal was not due to being kicked out.

"Guan Eng’s eviction order was only a political show, in his attempt to cover-up the fact that BUCG lost its confidence in the project long before it was investigated or involved in controversy."

With these irregularities, Tan asked, "How and will Guan Eng convince the people that the project is doubt-free?"