JULY 19 — The problem with abbreviations is that with enough of them bandied about, one can’t tell a light-rail train system from a Star Wars droid.
In just a week, since my last column, there have been a flurry of press releases and denials, I fear readers might turn catatonic keeping up; I myself was at risk as I had to read and reread to decipher the “truth” behind yet another project that “apparently” went out of control.
Which are the agreed facts?
The project was approved in 2015, for RM10 billion.
It’s a light-rail train line, quite like the first two light-rail train lines — which now travel from Gombak through to Putra Heights and then connect on through to Sentul Timur — therefore it explains why it is called LRT3. (Personally, I’d just colour code the tracks based on how they loop or stretch rather than keep historical references like Kelana Jaya line, because it was the last stop before. Singapore has a North-South or Red Line, rather than have it as the Tao Payoh Line, because it was the first station end, on its MRT map. Just saying.)
Prasarana on March 30, which was before the general election, requested from the Barisan Nasional (BN) government “an additional RM22 billion in government guarantee to ensure funding for the construction and completion of the LRT3 project.”
May 9, BN loses power.
In the weeks of May, the new Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has a peek at the activities pending and ongoing. His team comes across the LRT3 project costing.
His ministry came out this month to disclose the project was set to balloon from RM10 billion to RM31 billion.
Further, Tony Pua, special officer to the Finance Minister, claims Prasarana already awarded RM15.2 billion worth of LRT3 work packages in March 2018.
Former prime minister Najib Razak accepts Prasarana asked for more money, but denies it was approved and asks Pua to furnish evidence as such.
Construction began late last year with no clarity on completion rate. The Pakatan Harapan finance minister on July 12, 2018 after successful renegotiation to dramatically reduce costs said it will be completed in 2024.
Additional information
Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, after 10 years of Competency, Accountability and Transparency (CAT) in Penang, has adopted the same think for his role at the federal level.
Which explains the series of public announcements by himself and Pua, his primary point-man at the ministry.
They derided Prasarana openly, even though it belongs wholly to the ministry. They overturned the RM31.65 billion projected cost to RM16.63 billion overnight, which definitely casts a heavy shadow on project owner, Prasarana.
As the government representative, if the cost was almost halved immediately, how responsible were they when they asked for an additional RM22 billion in March?
LRT3 is critical for Pakatan Harapan Selangor, as the stations are all on the coalition’s state seats.
Indeed, with 51 of the state’s 56 assembly seats, Pakatan Harapan needs the project to be nearing completion by 2023 when elections have to be called in order to maintain such dominance.
The rail line delivers growth to Pakatan areas.
The stations begin at Bandar Utama, where DAP has a thumping majority of 90 per cent of the votes cast, to Tropicana where the PKR HQ is, offers a stadium stop to Shah Alam and the Red Giants (massively vital), help long-suffering students — and voters — at the iconic UiTM main campus and end at the town of Klang.
How it stacks?
There will be a LRT3. Cheaper, thanks to shorter trains with smaller and fewer stations, and four years late.
That’s the actual product. But, how do those involved, fare?
Things don’t add up when the present ministry of finance (MOF) leaders, the previous prime minister cum finance minister and Prasarana are lined up.
They are and were the lines of government reporting, placed to protect the voters’ interest.
Najib’s confidence that there is no approval document for the RM22 billion requested while he was in charge, turns the attention to Prasarana. For according to Pua, the company issued out awards totalling RM15.2 billion in March 2018 without the previous MOF leadership approval, if Najib speaks the truth.
With Guan Eng and Pua possessing all the ministry documentation and willing to hand over information to the media, Najib would not dare to openly lie.
Pua says “unlike the previous administration, the Pakatan Harapan administration has no intention to hide the true cost of the project.”
We hope he follows through and confirms shortly whether it was just bad management by either Najib or Prasarana, or sinister action by any party.
I look forward to how Prasarana explains itself in the days to come, since both Guan Eng and Najib have shown enough of their cards in this high stakes game.
*This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
