Gerakan wants MACC to probe RM305m for feasibility study

Committee member H’ng Khoon Leng says MACC must also probe the ballooning costs of constructing the undersea tunnel and paired mega road under the PTMP.

PETALING JAYA: Penang Gerakan wants the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to immediately investigate the unreasonable cost of RM305 million on a feasibility study for the proposed projects of an undersea tunnel and paired mega roads.

Penang Gerakan committee member H’ng Khoon Leng urged the MACC to also investigate the ballooning cost from RM4.08 billion to RM6.3 billion within a year for both projects although the state government had claimed that the original cost was RM8.3 billion.

Hng said it was unbelievable as the detailed original costing of RM4.08 billion was announced in an investment seminar a year before the project was awarded.

“It is absurd that the project was awarded before the feasibility study was done,” said H’ng in a statement here today.

He said the initiative by the MACC Penang branch to supervise and monitor the Penang Transport Master Plan or PTMP against any wrongdoings, irregularities and malpractices should be comprehensive and include all aspects of the mega infrastructural project including all related land reclamation deals.

“Superficial supervision and monitoring by MACC would make the anti-corruption commission complicit if it failed to detect and prevent corruption in this mega project,” cautioned H’ng.

He stressed that the DAP-led state government however, should not hide behind the proposed “supervision and monitoring measures” by MACC.

He said the state government should not absolve itself from full transparency and accountability just because the MACC would monitor the PTMP implementation.

“The state should not claim that the project was under the anti-graft agency’s supervision and monitoring.

“PTMP is a mega project involving large sums of money,” said H’ng, adding that all federal and state mega infrastructural projects should be totally transparent and accountable to the people.