PETALING JAYA, July 9 – Federal opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) should be allowed to join the government in monitoring the much-delayed KLIA2 project, PKR’s Nurul Izzah Anwar said today.

The Pantai MP also challenged the government’s claim that delays over KLIA2 – a new low-cost airport originally slated to open in September 2011 – will not cut the profits of airport operator Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB).

“For the benefit of the people, and in view of KLIA2’s initial cost increasing from RM1.9 billion to RM4 billion until today – we ask to join the Monitoring Committee under the Transport Ministry, which was created on July 8, 2013,” Nurul Izzah said in a statement today.

The PKR vice-president was referring to a newly-formed special committee headed by Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi to ensure that the KLIA2 project proceeds smoothly without any delays.

“We also ask for an independent audit by the ministry to identify the causes for the delay, including by the consultant KLIA Consultancy Services Sdn Bhd, a company owned by the finance ministry (30 per cent) that should be stricter in monitoring and stopping any VO,” she added, referring to the variation orders which had allegedly caused the delays and additional spending by MAHB on the project.

Nurul Izzah disputed the acting transport minister’s parliamentary reply on June 26, where the latter had said that the KLIA2 delays would not affect MAHB’s profits as it has no impact on the firm’s business dealings or operations.

But Nurul Izzah today pointed out that market analysts had indicated that MAHB would have to fork out more money for the KLIA2 project, which she said could potentially involve taxpayers’ funds.

She highlighted RHB Research’s Ahmad Maghfur Osman as downgrading MAHB’s stock value, following the research unit’s estimates that MAHB would have to spend an additional RM500 million for KLIA2.

She also said MIDF Research had in a report stated that MAHB may have to pay RM250 million to contractors over the company’s Variation Order requests for KLIA2.

Nurul Izzah said the changes made to KLIA2 included the earthworks and general upgrading of public infrastructure, saying that this was in addition to UEM-Bina Puri Joint Venture (JV)’s request for RM300 million from MAHB.

She said UEM-Bina Puri had asked for the additional funds to enlarge KLIA2’s main terminal and satellite buildings to cater to demands from government agencies and the new airline Malindo Air.

On June 26, the acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had said KLIA2, with the latest completion date scheduled for June 28 this year, will now be open on May 2, 2014.

He said the KLIA2’s main contractor UEM-Bina Puri JV had caused the delays.

Hishammuddin also said that MAHB’s finances remains solid, citing the country’s RAM Rating Services Sdn Bhd’s decision to keep a ‘Triple A’ rating on the firm’s credit profile.