PETALING JAYA: Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong has challenged his predecessor, Loke Siew Fook to repeat his allegations on the reasons for terminating the Klang Valley Double Tracking 2 (KVDT 2) contract outside Parliament.
Stating that he has “nothing to be afraid of”, Wee said he has sought legal action to clear his name.
“I will surely take legal action to clear my name. As the former transport minister, Loke is aware of the discrepancies surrounding this project.
“I advise him to speak with his conscience and stop being the spokesperson for the company,” he said in a statement.
Wee was responding to Loke who in the Dewan Rakyat today asked the transport minister to explain if KVDT 2 contract was terminated after the contractor failed to fulfil a request from Wee.
Loke was referring to claims made by Dhaya Maju-LTAT Sdn Bhd (DM-LTAT) in a supporting affidavit filed in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 27 in its suit against the government, Wee and two others for terminating the contract.
Reading from court documents on the affidavit in the Dewan Rakyat, Loke said on or about April 14, 2020, DM-LTAT had a meeting with Wee where they were asked to subcontract the whole project to a ‘China company’.
“After the plaintiff declined to do so, the meeting ended,” said Loke. Loke added that this was a serious allegation against the transport minister.
But Wee said the allegation that the double-track rail project was cancelled after the contractor did not agree to sub-con the project to a “China company” was “baseless”.
Wee said Loke may be “quite forgetful” as the latter on Sept 19, 2018, had informed the Cabinet that the KVDT 2 project costs would be lower if it is done through an open tender.
“Did Loke also forget that KTMB, as the rail track user, had written to the transport ministry and finance ministry to express its concern of having DM-LTAT as the project contractor,” he said, adding that this was acknowledged by Loke in Parliament on July 9, 2019.
Wee further said that the decision to terminate the letter of award to DM-LTAT had not been signed yet but the decision to terminate the contract was made by the Cabinet after due consideration.
“The transport ministry had listed the pros and cons of maintaining the decision made by the Pakatan Harapan government and termination of the letter of award in the Cabinet Memorandum,” he said.
However, since the matter is pending at the courts, Wee said it would be inappropriate for him to discuss it in detail.
Wee said he had sought legal advice on the so-called revelations to clear his name through legal process without announcing it to the public, this was to prevent the case from being politicised.
“Nevertheless, I had expected that the company would go through different channels, including politicians, to sensationalise the matter.
“Therefore, I had informed the Cabinet on Nov 6, 2020 about this issue and the officer who was with me at the meeting with the company has lodged a police report, to strongly deny any defamatory allegations made by the company,” he said, adding that his conscience was clear.
On the allegation that the termination of the project would affect Bumiputra contractors, Wee said he would address it in Parliament upon his discharge from the hospital.
In its lawsuit, DM-LTAT had named the government as the first defendant, followed by Wee, Opus Consultants (M) Sdn Bhd and Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd.
On Nov 6, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Takiyuddin Hassan said the Cabinet had agreed to seek an out-of-court settlement with DM-LTAT over three separate civil actions, including an injunction application.
The proposed KVDT 2 spans 110km, involving two KTM railway tracks – one from Salak South to Seremban and the other from a point between Kuala Lumpur Sentral and Angkasapuri to Port Klang.
It was previously reported that the transport ministry’s decision to cancel the awarding of the project and reopen it for tender followed Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz’s revelation that the Pakatan Harapan government had awarded 101 projects through direct negotiation.
In 2017, the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration awarded the project to DM-LTAT but the contract was cancelled after the change of government in 2018.
The Pakatan Harapan administration then reappointed DM-LTAT to continue the project after a reduction in its scope and costs. - FMT
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