YOURSAY | ‘Wee Ka Siong should’ve asked for project documents to be declassified when he was on gov’t bench.’

Was ECRL called off to ‘punish’ non-Harapan states, asks Wee

Anonymous_5a309591: The East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project was called off because the Malaysian taxpayers had to pay more than what it actually costs.

Ayer Hitam MP and MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong, being an engineer by training and a parliamentarian, should be able to assess the actual costs.

Who did the original costing? Check the original costing with the actual tender that was given out.

If you have the guts, ask why the tender amount was so much higher than the actual costing. Check item by item, and then ask former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak what happened.

CKL: Firstly, MCA was part of the government that approved the deal. The people knew nothing.

So why not give all the facts and feasibility studies and financing plans before signing?

It would have shown the project was not financially sound and sustainable. It would have shown massive corruption.

But MCA and Wee as a minister said nothing then.

It is not about punishing the three states. It is a non-feasible project that would have bled Malaysia for decades and would have punished all Malaysians.

Jianzhi: Of course not. The ECRL was not called off to punish the non-Pakatan Harapan states.

It was done out of necessity and also to stop further leakages from our national coffers. We have trust in the wisdom and integrity of the new government.

MCA should position itself as a true Malaysian opposition party and not just oppose DAP.

Remember that the ethnic Chinese no longer subscribe to you, and neither do they need your racial championing. Please reinvent yourself to stay relevant.

Jaded: Why didn't you call for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) when 1MDB was happening?

Why didn't you call for an RCI into the AES traffic system? Why didn't you call for an RCI on the solar panel scandal in East Malaysia?

MCA, please send an opposition leader who can think before speaking. This is not doing any favours for the opposition when we now need to keep Harapan on its toes.

Quo Vadis: Just one question: Why did you not ask for declassification and stress the importance of the public being kept fully informed, when you were on the government bench?

Not long ago, did you not ask for clarification of a school Internet project that was signed when you were the deputy minister of education? What a laugh!

Bally Hall: Wee, why don't you get Umno and your party to cough up the money for the projects?

As for declassification of the studies, you should have been the one to do it when the projects were awarded.

Why were they not disclosed to the public when we and the then opposition parties asked for it?

Jackay Way: I look at it from a different angle. Let’s say cancellation of ECRL is a punishment against the three states of Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan.

If that's true, the construction of ECRL was a reward to the three states and a punishment to those states who were not involved with the ECRL.

Well, the majority of the states – which are not involved – have overwhelmingly voted for the Harapan government.

The rakyat has spoken. ECRL has been cancelled. Let's move on.

Tok Jangut: ECRL is of benefit to Malaysia in that it would have brought benefit to the three states.

Wee is correct here in asking for the feasibility studies, cost-benefit analysis and economic impact studies.

Just paying the compensation and deferring the project may be more costly. Good for all of us to see those documents.

Clever Voter: Wee Ka Siong is trying too hard to be relevant.

He is entitled to comment, question or even criticise. Let's not forget he is an elected politician.

The question of whether the decisions had to do with economic or political reasons or both have already been answered partially. The government has now to balance between total or selective transparency.

The public has already been treated with an overflow of bad news, especially from the Finance Ministry.

Wee should know by now the country’s finances are in a mess, and he had better know he was part of that establishment that placed zero emphases on moral values and standards. This, on its own, is good enough to answer his questions.

Pastor Koh inquiry to restart on Aug 27

Susahkes: Harapan politicians Lim Kit Siang, M Kulasegaran, Gobind Singh Deo, Lim Guan Eng, Anwar Ibrahim - you all know what it means to be charged under the Internal Security Act 1960 or to be in jail.

Now that you are in the seat of power, you need to ask the cabinet to prioritise pastor Raymond Koh’s disappearance.

Don't tell us about complications. Just get the experts to watch the CCTV and come up with a conclusion. You don't need another time-wasting, toothless Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) inquiry.

All that is needed is for the authorities to move this file up in its priority list, and expedite the investigation, like they have done with 1MDB.

While you wait to play catch up with all this inquiry mumbo-jumbo, a man's life – whatever has happened to it – hangs in the balance. And his family has to live with that daily.

One Humanity: The kidnapping of pastor Koh could only happen during the lawless rule of the previous BN regime that was a de facto police state.

The subsequent foot-dragging, amateurish "investigation", media-blaming, and obstruction of Suhakam's inquiry by charging one individual who had absolutely no military or security background was the ultimate insult to his family and the people of Malaysia.

It's time for justice to prevail and the dastardly criminals and their patrons prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Cocomomo: Hopefully real efforts will be made by the new government to address this situation.

If pastor Koh and others were contravening the laws, charge them accordingly in open court. Such “forced disappearances” should not happen.

If they are being held in some secret location, free them or charge them. Bring those responsible for the disappearance to justice.

No group or so-called authority should be allowed to act in this manner. The Harapan government should give confidence to the public that it will not tolerate such disappearances.

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