CHIEF Minister Lim Guan Eng has cast doubt if the Penang tunnel and three highways project will take off, citing interference and sabotage to the centrepiece of his plan to solve Penang’s traffic woes. 

“We don’t know if this project will go on. (There is) clear sabotage against the project by the state aimed at alleviating traffic woes in Penang.

“Penang folk are suffering (from traffic congestion) while Umno, MCA and Gerakan are trying to sabotage the project. Congratulations if they succeed,” he said in a press conference today.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is currently investigating the project, which was awarded to Consortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd (now Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd) in 2013 via an open tender. 

To date, MACC has remanded four people to assist investigations that started earlier this month. Two company directors, who were earlier picked up, have been released.

Lim, who has been assailed BN political rivals almost daily over the tunnel, today lashed out at MCA deputy president Dr Wee Ka Siong again for reportedly asking why the project had yet to take off.

“How to start the project? We want to follow federal procedures. We only received EIA (environmental impact approval) for the highways last year.

“Before starting (physical) work, people were already arrested for investigation. Frankly, nobody thinks building roads will get them arrested.

“In 2016, MACC already started looking at the project. Nothing came of it. But come 2018, people are arrested. It is all because of the coming general election,” he said.

Accusing BN and the federal government of blocking and sabotaging the project, which Putrajaya did not have to pay a single sen for, Lim said Wee should look in the mirror when he asked why the project had not started.

Yesterday, Wee, who is a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, said the special-purpose vehicle company that was awarded the project was making huge amount of money, but the RM305 million technical reports were still unfinished and no construction had started five years since the contract was awarded.

The MCA leader was responding to an earlier statement by Penang deputy chief minister II Dr P. Ramasamy, who had defended the project.

Lim also slammed certain mainstream newspapers for their “unfair” reporting on the issue, giving better coverage to BN and sometimes even neglecting to publish the state’s explanations and replies to questions and allegations.

“Let the people know how the press has been unfair to us. Let them decide if they trust the media or the state government, and decide if they want BN to take over.

“I know you (the press) will hammer me for saying this. Hammer me then. We expect this to last up to the election,” he said.

Lim was also asked to comment on Penang Barisan Nasional writing to the consulate-general of China in Penang yesterday to ask for help to contact representatives of China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) to explain matters related to the tunnel project.

CRCC, a major Chinese state-owned firm, is the main contractor of the tunnel project.

“They want to play extreme politics. The project has nothing to do with the consulate-general but they want to drag them in.

“I have nothing further to say on that,” Lim said. – January 26, 2018.