THE controversy surrounding Penang’s undersea tunnel and three highways project is becoming a political circus, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said.

He said detractors were going around with distorted information, when the facts were clear and that the project had been transparent, with an open tender process and checks and balances.

“We are not interested to go round and round with them. I don’t think we are interested to repeat (explanations) to people who refuse to understand. 

“If they were to attend my lecture, they will surely fail (the exam). They either have tunnel vision or no vision,” he told a press conference at Komtar today.

Lim was responding to recent statements made by MCA deputy president Dr Wee Ka Siong in the media over the tunnel and highways projects and the involvement of Chinese firm China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC).

Wee, who is also minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, had earlier questioned CRCC’s role in the project, telling the state to prove that the Chinese firm was a shareholder.

He then acknowledged that CRCC was the main contractor of the project, and not a shareholder in Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd, the company awarded the project via open tender.

CRCC was signed on as the project’s engineering, procurement, construction and design consultant in October 2013.

Wee went on to say that a memorandum of understanding and acknowledgements of commitment were not legally binding.

Lim said Wee had contradicted himself, by first acknowledging that CRCC was the main contractor and then saying MoUs and acknowledgments of commitment were not legally binding.

He said CRCC had already issued a statement that it was responsible for the project’s construction.

“For a company of this size, with a capital of US$4 billion (RM16 billion), issuing a statement is a serious commitment. If its agreement signed for the project was not legally binding, would CRCC issue statements?”

Lim said the state had explained the project, stressing that CRCC was its main contractor, not shareholder; and that no payment by cash or land swap had been made for the tunnel.

The state only paid Consortium Zenith 3.7 acres of land worth RM208 million for the completion of the three highways’ feasibility studies, designs and approved EIA (environmental impact assessment) report.

However, detractors had continuously “ignored” the explanations and distorted the facts, Lim said.

 “It is meaningless to explain. It also shows how petty (Wee) is making the issue and politicising it. They are not seeking explanations but finding fault, making something out of nothing.

Lim said while Penang made public explanations, Putrajaya did not talk about the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal or the RM55 billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL).

 “The PM doesn’t explain 1MDB. Wee also doesn’t explain why the ECRL was granted via direct tender,” he said.

The tunnel and highways project is being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

The state government has been denying that there was corruption in the projects as BN politicians continue to raise questions on the contract. – January 24, 2018.