Despite having one hand in a bandage due to an injury, former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad opened the Vision 2020 time capsule at an event held at the Kuala Lumpur Tower today.
The time capsule, which has been stored since Oct 1, 1996, is around 28 years old and contains various selected items.
The contents included photographs of the Kuala Lumpur Tower’s construction, RM2 banknotes, KL Tower posters, photographic film, newspaper advertisements for the tower, video compact discs (VCDs), and several other items.
The former Langkawi MP also read a poem kept in the time capsule.
The fourth and seventh prime minister added that the press statement and the poem were among the items that stirred his memories.
‘Deeply grateful’
In a press conference after the ceremony, the soon-to-be 100-year-old said he would never imagine having the opportunity to open the time capsule at his age.
“I didn’t expect to still be able to see the items in the capsule - I thought I would no longer be around by then.
“I’m still able to open it, read the press statement, and look at the other contents.
“This is something I’m deeply grateful for,” added the nonagenarian.
The time capsule was buried in conjunction with the inauguration of the Kuala Lumpur Tower and was originally scheduled to be opened in 2020.
However, due to various factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic, the opening of the capsule had to be postponed.
Also present at the capsule opening ceremony were Mahathir’s wife Dr Hasmah Ali, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd managing director Abdul Hamid Shaikh, and several former ministers.
KL Tower takeover issue
On the Kuala Lumpur Tower management takeover issue, Mahathir said the government's move reduced bumiputera’s involvement.
“Why does it need to be sold to others? It has already been privatised - this is one of the bumiputera’s successes; they built the tower and managed it.
“But now it’s being taken away from the bumiputera, reducing their role. This is not the national policy.
“We can consider changes to the management if there are losses or other problems. As far as I know, there are no issues with the tower’s management,” he said.
It was reported that Hydroshoppe Sdn Bhd and its subsidiary Menara Kuala Lumpur Sdn Bhd (MKLSB) expressed concern that the police and the Kuala Lumpur City Hall would evict them, describing such action as an “abuse of power”.
They also stressed that such an action would conflict with ongoing court proceedings.
Hydroshoppe, through MKLSB, was appointed to manage the capital’s iconic landmark in 2022 but claimed that the government unlawfully terminated the agreement in November of the same year.
The government subsequently awarded the concession to LSH Service Master Sdn Bhd (LSHSM) in May last year, a joint venture between two companies - LSH Best Builders Sdn Bhd and Service Master (M) Sdn Bhd.
Lawsuit
Hydroshoppe and MKLSB have since taken legal action against the government and the new concession holder, seeking RM1 billion in damages and a court declaration that the 2022 agreement remains valid and binding.
They have also applied for the court to affirm their entitlement to a 30-year concession starting from Dec 31, 2022, claiming that the government had breached its trust by awarding the concession to another entity.
On April 1, the Communications Ministry emphasised that the Kuala Lumpur Tower is government-owned and that the takeover of the concession only involved changes to management and operations, which were carried out through a request for proposal process. - Mkini
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