Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong said allegations that bumiputera participation in the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project being "non-existent" were unfounded.
Wee pointed out that there are 1,368 local companies participating in the project of which 81 are bumiputera firms as of Aug 31.
"These 81 bumiputera companies have successfully passed the pre-qualifying exercise done in 2017 and 2019, and won their contracts competitively through bids with the engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) main contractor.
"They include 43 contractors, two consultant firms and 36 vendors and suppliers," he said in a statement today.
These 81 firms had contracts valued at RM320 million, Wee added.
The ECRL project is valued at RM50.3 billion.
Local participation, the minister said, is planned for RM10 billion and the EPCC main contractor - China Communication Construction (ECRL) Sdn Bhd - will eventually ensure an effective bumiputera participation rate of 32.9 percent.
"As a whole, the ministry aims to develop and raise the capabilities of local companies so that they would be able to compete equally in mega projects such as the ECRL which are catalysts for future growth for the nation," he added.
Wee was referring to news reports regarding allegations made by Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Tajuddin had repeatedly interrupted Wee during question time to demand answers over the alleged lack of participation of bumiputera firms in the project.
The ECRL is a project initiated during the Najib Abdul Razak administration. Both the main creditor and contractor are China government-owned companies. - Mkini
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