Rauf denies 55 problematic projects claim, says some inherited from past administrations

 

MALACCA POLLS | Malacca BN chairperson Ab Rauf Yusoh has denied claims that 55 development projects in the state are problematic, saying some stalled projects were inherited from previous administrations, including Pakatan Harapan.

Responding to PKR deputy secretary-general G Sivamalar's demand for an update on 55 state development projects that had yet to commence as of June last year, Rauf (above) said implementing such projects often spanned several administrations.

"The implementation of these projects is a long process, inherited from one chief minister to another, including our friends on the other side (Harapan) who had previously served as chief minister.

"They themselves know that when it comes to stalled projects, there are different categories, including state and federal government projects," MalaysiaGazette quoted him as saying at a press conference after visiting an election operations room in Ayer Molek today.

The caretaker chief minister said the Implementation Coordination Unit under the Prime Minister’s Department typically coordinated federal projects, while privately initiated projects depended on the financial capacity of the companies involved.

His remarks came after Sivamalar demanded that the state government disclose the status of 55 projects which Rauf himself had reported as not yet commenced on June 10, 2025.

PKR deputy secretary-general G Sivamalar

At the time, Rauf said 86 of the state's 241 development projects were completed, 100 were ongoing, and 55 had not yet begun.

Yesterday, Sivamalar questioned how many of the 55 projects had since commenced, been completed, or remained delayed, and called for a full breakdown of their locations, allocations, implementing agencies, and completion schedules.

However, Rauf did not provide a project-by-project update in his reported response.

'Not finding fault'

Elaborating, Rauf cited the Malacca monorail and land reclamation developments as examples of private initiatives granted concessions to investors.

"Most of the abandoned projects in Malacca, such as the monorail and land reclamation projects, are private initiatives for which concessions were granted to companies seeking to invest in Malacca.

"Perhaps they no longer had the financial capacity following several rounds of global economic downturns, which resulted in the projects being abandoned," he said.

Rauf, however, maintained that he had no intention of blaming previous administrations, stressing that his priority was to rehabilitate problematic projects.

"I have promised not to find fault with others, and we understand where the problems lie.

"Perhaps there was insufficient budget, or perhaps the projects were not properly managed, resulting in them becoming troubled projects," he said.

Rauf pledged that efforts to revive abandoned projects would continue gradually, subject to prevailing economic conditions, should BN secure a fresh mandate in the Nov 14 state election.

The BN's chief minister candidate is defending his Tanjung Bidara seat in a straight fight against Harapan's Yunazri Mustamiri. - Mkini