FORMER Council of Eminent Persons chief Daim Zainuddin is the best person to lead the renegotiation of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project with China as it is a role that requires one’s full devotion, time and commitment, said Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.

“It is a full-time job and I don’t have the time. We have to travel to and from Beijing, seven to eight hours, and at times, we will be hindered by protocol,” Lim told reporters at the Parliament lobby today.

“Daim is an experienced person and everyone is aware of his expertise. I think we have the best candidate,” said Lim.

Yesterday in the Dewan Rakyat, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said Daim was best suited to stand as the government’s negotiator on the ECRL project after Ismail Mohamed Said (BN-Kuala Krau) questioned why Lim would not oversee it.

“We chose (the candidate) based on certain abilities. Sometimes, when we negotiate, we need someone who can be accepted by the other party, and we all have certain restrictions in choosing the negotiator,” Dr Mahathir had said. 

Lim said he was grateful that Daim was willing to take on the responsibility of being chief negotiator.

“He is able to find ways and methods that are not bound by protocol. As a person, he also does not like protocol. He is also a very firm person.

“This is what we want: someone who is firm, and we are very confident that he will find a resolution and it will be proposed in cabinet for a final decision,” said Lim.

The ECRL project, which was worth RM81 billion, had been approved during the previous administration under former prime minister Najib Razak.

However, the new Pakatan Harapan-led government announced in January that the project would be cancelled as it is unable to service the annual interest of almost RM500 million. 

The government later said it was in talks with China Communication Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) to reduce the cost of the project.

Dr Mahathir had said yesterday that the government would have had to bear a RM130 billion debt over 30 years if it had proceeded with the old price tag and conditions for the project. – March 21, 2019.