2008 polls promises in Rembau yet to be delivered

Rembau PKR has raised questions over the district hospital in Negeri Sembilan which was promised by BN in the 2008 general election but is yet to be built, as well as other undelivered “polls goodies”.

“Promises made in the previous election campaign should be delivered before the next election is held,” said division chief Badrul Hisham Shaharin (left), who is better known as Chegubard.

The foundation of the hospital was laid in a ceremony officiated by the Menteri Besar Mohamad Hasan four years ago.

However, the area was since left neglected until sometime this month when the land was re-cleared, fenced up and a large signboard announcing the site of the Rembau Hospital was posted.

“Who in Rembau does not already know that is the site of the promised project? Why do they need to build fences, clear the area and post a signboard?

“How much did they spend just to fool the people? Who’s paying for it?” asked Badrul Hisham in a statement yesterday.

MB’s letter to newspaper

In a letter published by the Malay daily Berita Harian on March 15, the menteri besar reportedly said that the project was approved under the Ninth Malaysia Plan but was delayed due to changes in the construction agreement.

Mohamad Hassan, who wrote the letter in response to a reader’s mail, explained that the project was originally slated to be a private sector project but the Health Ministry wanted it to be under the Public Works Department, thus causing the delay.

“Then the state government suggested that the hospital be built on land owned by the Negeri Sembilan Development Corporation (PKNS) along the Seremban-Rembau Road in Chembong because of its strategic location and also it does not require the ministry to provide additional funding to build roads and new infrastructure,” said the Rembau BN chief.

However, he added it was later found that the ministry had only allocated RM16 per sq ft, whereas PKNS had paid RM18 per sq ft for the land and wanted to sell it at RM22 per sq ft.

Thus PKNS took the matter to court while the Health Ministry spent the funds building other hospitals.

“However, both parties have now reached a new agreement and the allocation for the hospital had been approved under the 10th Malaysia Plan that would see its construction beginning soon,” Mohamad Hassan was quoted as saying.

He added that the tender for the construction would be opened next month and the building would be completed in 26 to 30 months.

Discrepancies in land price

Badrul Hisham questioned the discrepancy in the land prices between the PKNS land and the land acquired for a railway double-tracking project less than a kilometre away where villagers were allegedly paid between RM1.20 and RM2.80 per sq ft in compensation last year.

“Maybe they could argue that the status of the land is different - one being an industrial land and the other an agricultural land. But the two are less than a kilometre away, the difference can’t be that much,” he said.

Badrul Hisham added that when the hospital was first proposed, it had been allocated RM100 million but he estimated that the cost could have doubled by now due to rising costs of construction materials.

“All these are due to weaknesses in the government administration,” he said.

The former PKR Youth chief also complained of other undelivered promises, such as the Universiti Teknologi Mara campus that was supposedly to be built in Rembau but was moved to the Pakatan Rakyat-held constituency of Rasah instead.

“This means that Umno voters would be sidelined, and would continue to be fooled with promises that are recycled in the upcoming election.

“The projects are focused on Pakatan-held areas to persuade voters to vote for BN again.

“PKR Rembau also condemns Rembau Umno leadership’s recent statement that the airstrip they promised was just a recreational airstrip. This made further fools of the constituency’s voters.

“Yet another election promise, slated to be a training centre for the state’s Civil Aviation Club, is still to be delivered,” he added.