Minister challenges Guan Eng to debate Penang Tunnel project

Melati A. Jalil Melati A. Jalil Updated 8 years ago · Published on 5 Mar 2018 5:06PM · 4 Comments

MCA deputy president Wee Ka Siong responds to the Penang chief minister calling him a 'despicable human being'. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, January 9, 2018.

MINISTER in the Prime Minister’s Department Wee Ka Siong has challenged the Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng to a debate on the Penang Tunnel, which is under investigation over allegations of corruption and kickbacks.

“If Guan Eng is still unsatisfied with me, instead of (being) cowardly (and) calling me such names as ‘despicable human being’ via press statements, perhaps Guan Eng can be man enough to challenge me to a public debate on the Penang Tunnel,” Wee, who is MCA deputy president, said in a statement today. 

The RM6.3 million project is now the subject of a probe by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, which has arrested two businessmen in connection to the case.

Wee said the chief minister should admit that the DAP-led government had entrusted a new, unqualified company with the construction of a billion-ringgit project.

“Guan Eng should admit that the DAP state government under him has awarded a mega-billion project to an unqualified that was just 82 days old at the time of the award, on terms that are heavily lopsided.”

The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said instead of coming up with illogical excuses, Lim should also explain if RM22million was paid in an attempt to cover up corruption.

On Saturday, Lim issued a statement calling Wee “despicable” for lying that Penang state secretary Farizan Darus had chosen the Zenith Consortium group of companies to built the tunnel and three main roads, despite knowing that the company did not meet the RM381 million minimum paid-up capital requirement.

Consortium Zenith BUCG won an open tender to build the project in 2013, with Chinese firm China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) signing on as the engineering, procurement, construction and design consultant for the project. 

BUCG left the consortium in September 2016 after a crane at a construction site in Kuala Lumpur collapsed and killed a motorist. Zenith Construction then took over BUCG’s 95% stake in the consortium.

The consortium is now known as Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd. – March 5, 2018.

Sign up or sign in here to comment.

Comments

  • LGE !!! Do not bother !!!!. This despicable retard is trying to revive his image thru' a debate which has no buy back but just to make him a hero for a usless nothing important debate lime light. We know his ruse.!!!! He is what the Chinese wisdom saying of many years ago -- "A salted dead fish trying to Resurrect". Let him wait and saddle with anguish and sleepless nights on what he wish for more did not materialise.

    Posted 8 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • Looks like wee ka siong the spineless swine has got nothing better to do than to get himself lost in his retarded sense of priority. he should be drilling confucian moral ethics into the empty skull of braggard hog nazri instead of acting like a nobrainer dotard.

    Posted 8 years ago by Landy Oz · Reply

  • Penang will not be yours no matter how hard you try.

    Posted 8 years ago by Tanahair Ku · Reply

  • Koh Tsu Khoon debated Lim Guan Eng once. See what happened? Wee is welcome to try and I'm fairly certain Guan Eng will accept the dare, but I believe this is all sandiwara, and possibly wasting Guan Eng's time. It is a height of hypocrisy when Najib won't debate Tun M because 1MDB is still under investigation. Applying the same logic, Penang government can choose not to debate because MACC is still investigating the Penang tunnel project.

    Posted 8 years ago by Quigon Bond · Reply