Our MRT project

Puhleez-don't tell us the people behind Gamuda or MMC are Nobel Prize scientists and physicists. The experience they have in building tunnels in Kuala Lumpur (SMART) and Taiwan is not unique. So surely that is not their unique selling point.

I saw the program on TV about the Smart Tunnel. It was built using foreign expertise which can be secured at the right price. Hence that is not rocket science- that experience can be acquired. The most important determinant is that you get the opportunity to do it.

Gamuda and MMC are given the opportunity to do the project. They will ask the same engineering company to come and build on their behalf and register as another milestone in acquired experience.

Bull! You give it to me, or to anyone, we can go hunt for the engineers to do the lubang. Its korek korek and korek.

YAB Dato Sri- Rakyat marah bila dengar dengan tidak semena mena, MMC-GAMUDA di beri peluang untuk buat kerja menggali terowong. Mula mula gali terowong, but later in the name of continuity and consistency, they will get the other packages too. Then you can ensure quality control.

Patut lah semasa membentangkan ETP dahulu MMC dan Gamuda sejak awal lagi sudah beritahu mereka yakin di beri peluang. Ini confirm apa yang saya pernah tulis dahulu- bahawa ETP tidak lain hanya amalgamation business plans by various private companies invited to submit by Pemandu and McKinsey boys. Idris Jala isn't that smart to come out with such grandiose plans.

Yang rakyat marah lagi ialah seolah olah pengalaman yang di miliki oleh Gamuda ini tidak boleh di perolehi oleh syarikat binaan lain. Perkara ini bukan susah- jika sesiapa dapat peluang membina terowong ini, kita hanya perlu mencari rakan kongsi yang mempunyai kepakaran dalam bidang tersebut. Tidak munasabah untuk menyatakan bahawa orang di belakang Gamuda dan MMC otak mereka tersangat geliga sehingga mamat lain tidak dapat berfikir serupa.

Semua orang tahu Gamuda ialah syarikat yang di miliki oleh orang Cina. Wajah mereka di depani oleh keluarga di raja Perak. You know, we have had enough of this nonsense lah- no one is above making money the easy way-. The ordinary Malay mamat, the china man, the Indian man drinking thali merah and falling by the roadside or the royal family members. The color of money does not discriminate between philistines and Pharisees, pariahs and Brahmins. The color absorbs the same greed.

And so the mainstream media people screamed:

MMC-Gamuda Joint Venture Sdn Bhd, which has been appointed the project delivery partner (PDP) for the Mass Rail Transit (MRT) project, will be allowed to tender for tunneling works.

"The government felt the exception should be made as the PDP is the only local construction company that has experience in major tunneling works such as in the SMART Tunnel project in Kuala Lumpur and the Kaohsiung MRT project in Taiwan," said Prime Minister Najib Razak today.

We are puzzled actually. For all intents and purposes, MMC-Gamuda has this project in the bag. Just say as it is. What is the value of the tunneling portion? Yessiree- the next time, because only Gamuda-MMC has the experience in koreking, let all projects of this nature be given to Gamuda-MMC. I don't know whether it's to lessen our angst or adding salt to injury, the PM has to add:-

However, MCC-Gamuda will not be allowed to tender any of the work packages in the massive project, estimated to be around RM40 billion - the largest infrastructure project in Malaysia's history. Nevertheless, Najib said the PDP would still have to compete for the work package with other companies and the award would be given on the basis of merit.

The mass rapid transit (MRT) project is expected to generate a gross national income (GNI) of between RM3 billion and RM4 billion beginning next year until 2020. The bulk of it will come from passenger load I hope.

The PM told us that around 400,000 people will be using the MRT. That's a sizeable portion of KL population made up of Nepalese guards, Bangladeshi studs, Myanmar refugees and so forth. To generate the 3-4 billion of operating income, what's the price of the ticket?

The MRT must carry more than 400,000 people daily if it's to achieve a RM 3-4 billion revenue. PM Najib must have been thinking of the 3-4 billion coming from tickets and not other income from externalities and spinoffs. Because he added that between RM8 billion and RM12 billion was expected to be generated in terms of spinoffs from the construction of the MRT project. "RM21 billion in GNI incremental impact is anticipated to be generated in 2020 from the value appreciation of the project and the increase in productivity rate.

Haven't economists understood the concept of stretching an argument to maximum absurdity? Who is doing the math for the PM in the above case?

courtesy of sakmongkol AK47