CM, we have proof, says Wee

PETALING JAYA: MCA has shown proof that Penang Chief Minister did mention that China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd (CRCC) was part of the special purpose vehicle (SPV).

The SPV was set up for the mega project of three main roads and an undersea tunnel.

Around three hours after Lim Guan Eng held a press conference, MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong went live on Facebook to point out that Lim had indeed mentioned it in March 2013.

Showing print-outs of an open letter by Lim to all Penangites, which was carried in the Penang state-run bi-monthly newsletter Buletin Mutiara, Dr Wee zoomed in on a paragraph.

On page four of the bi-monthly state publication’s March 16-31 edition, the ninth paragraph of Lim’s open letter stated that “the state government had awarded the tender to Consortium Zenith BUCG, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) company set up by a joint venture between Construction Zenith, China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd (CRCC) along with Beijing Urban Construction Group (BUCG), Sri Tinggi Sdn Bhd and Juteras Sdn Bhd.”

The letter is titled “Penang invest in the future so that our young do not become a ‘Traffic Jam Generation’.

“This is the proof that you are caught lying through your teeth,” said Dr Wee in his live video.

“You said MCA is the only party that tried to spread lies and you are caught lying. Please CM Guan Eng, explain this,” said Dr Wee.

To Lim’s statement at his press conference calling on people not to drag the state secretary into the issue, Dr Wee said he was not interested in the state secretary, as he was a civil servant.

“He takes instructions from the exco. But please, don’t try to make the state secretary your scapegoat.

“I urge CM Guan Eng to not heap blame on others, nor evade questions which MCA has raised. We didn’t sabotage the Penang undersea tunnel; what we want is the truth from you,” Dr Wee said.

Meanwhile, Barisan Nasional strategic communications deputy director Datuk Eric See-To said he could not fathom why Lim would deny that he or the state government had ever said CRCC was a shareholder in the SPV.

“Dr Wee already brought out many pieces of evidence, most of it from official Penang government publications including an open letter written by Lim, as well as interviews on various media portals that the state government did misrepresent CRCC as a shareholder in the SPV,” he said.

See-To questioned what would happen if the SPV, with the current paid-up capital of RM26.5mil, did not have the financial strength to pay the main contractor of the mega project.

He urged Lim to meet Dr Wee’s challenge to instruct the SPV to provide documentary evidence of how much had been paid to CRCC since the state government signed the contract with the SPV in November 2013.

He said if the payments were substantial, it showed that the SPV had the financial strength and that the CRCC was indeed the main contractor.