PUTRAJAYA will review its decision to re-tender the underground works for the Mass Rapid Transit Line 2 (MRT2) project, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today.

Bernama reported him saying this after the contractor MMC-Gamuda said 20,000 employees could lose their jobs while workers took to social media to vent their frustrations.

Dr Mahathir was speaking to reporters on the sidelines after giving a speech at the Khazanah Megatrends Forum 2018 in Kuala Lumpur.

The Finance Ministry on Sunday announced the move to terminate MMC-Gamuda’s contract for the underground portion of the MRT2 to save RMM5.22 billion and issue a new international tender.

Prior to this, the consortium and the government had been negotiating cost reductions for the last two months but failed to reach an agreement.

MMC-Gamuda retains the contract to complete the above-ground sections of the line that will connect Sg Buloh to Serdang and Putrajaya.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng earlier said those who lost their jobs could be rehired as the project was not cancelled. He reiterated the government’s focus on cutting costs. – October 9, 2018.