Anwar claims Jabor Highway cost ballooned to RM5b

By Shannon Teoh

November 02, 2011

Anwar highlighted the construction of a bridge that crosses no river. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 2 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today that the Jabor Highway will now cost RM5 billion — up from an initial RM3.7 billion.

The opposition leader said the highway, which was announced as a high-impact project by Datuk Seri Najib Razak when tabling Budget 2012, was first promised to the Terengganu public in the 2004 election campaign.

“But construction only began in 2007. Now the price has breached RM5 billion. I understand that extra allocation is required to complete the project, [and] who knows when that will be,” the Permatang Pauh MP told Parliament.

It was reported in August 2010 that the highway, also known as the Second Phase East Coast Highway, was expected to cost 15 per cent more after new contractors were appointed to complete six stretches of the road linking Jabor in Pahang to Kuala Terengganu.

Anwar added in his speech while debating the Budget today that the project was funded using oil royalty owed to Terengganu.

“This means the highway is paid for by Terengganu taxpayers. But when it is complete, it will be handed over to the Malaysian Highway Authority. This means Terengganu gives the land and pays the cost, but who will collect the toll?” the PKR de facto leader continued.

He also said a stretch of the highway included the Sungai Bagus-Bandar Baru Kerteh Bridge, “a special bridge being built on land as it does not cross the river as originally planned.”

Anwar said the original cost of the bridge was RM174 million but it has now risen to RM210 million with another RM70 million required to complete the stretch.