Penang BN chief Teng Chang Yeow has been challenged to unequivocally state that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had lied when he claimed not a single sen was paid to the contractor for the undersea tunnel project.
Lim said by doing so, he can prove in court that he (Lim) was telling the truth.
He lamented that Teng had refused to accept his statement that the undersea contractor – Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd – has not been paid a single sen.
Lim reminded that on Jan 12 in Komtar, he told a press conference that the Penang government had only paid for work done to obtain approvals for the EIA reports for three major highways related to the undersea tunnel.
“This statement has been repeated by state executive councillor Lim Hock Seng, who is overseeing the project, and yet Teng said we are lying,” he said.
The RM6.3 billion project, involving a 7.2km undersea bed tunnel, is supposed to link the island on Gurney Drive to Bagan Ajam on the mainland. It is slated to start construction in 2023, and to be completed by 2027.
“Teng knows that it is the Penang government’s policy not to sue when defamatory statements are made against it.
“However when defamatory statements are made against individual leaders, such as myself, then action can be taken in court,” Lim said in Komtar today.
“I have taken many defamatory actions in court against the BN media and have won most of them”.
Lim was responding to Teng (photo) who asked yesterday if the state government has been lying about not paying for the tunnel.
Teng said the Penang state legislative assembly on Nov 2, last year, stated that RM11.2 million was paid in cash to an independent technical consulting firm, HSSI Sdn Bhd.
Lim had explained that HSSI was appointed by the state government to verify and certify the claims made by Zenith.
He noted that HSSI had cut down Zenith’s claim of RM305 million for the feasibility study to RM208 million.
Penang had signed the agreement to build the undersea tunnel with Zenith in 2013, to address the island’s traffic woes.
Work has not started on the tunnel as the feasibility study for the project is only 92 percent completed.
Lim said there was no hurry to finish the feasibility study as construction would only begin in 2023.
The project is currently under a major probe by the MACC, which has raided agencies linked to the tunnel in 20 locations.
Two high-ranking officials of the construction companies linked to the project have been remanded for 11 days to assist in the probe which began last Monday.
“How can there be alleged corruption in the entire project, when the entire contract is conducted through an open competitive tender?” Lim asked.
“Clearly the entire investigation is a malicious political witch hunt designed to sabotage these infrastructure projects designed to alleviate traffic congestion and undermine the Penang state government in the run-up to the coming general elections.
“If Teng fails to state courageously that I had lied, then it is understood why Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong had allegedly refused to name Teng as the choice for BN’s CM even though Teng is the BN Penang chief, should BN win Penang in the next polls,” Lim added.
– M’kini
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