Wee: Has CCCC been granted govt land?

PETALING JAYA: MCA has questioned whether claims that the granting of government-owned land to China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) are true.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong had asked the International Trade and Industry Minister in Parliament on July 3 two questions regarding the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed bet­ween CCCC and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida), in which the MoU is said to be a “side deal” for the East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) project.

Dr Wee, who is Ayer Hitam MP, said the minister seemed to avoid answering a question on whether government-owned land had been given to CCCC and which company was overseeing the project.

“I’m also confident that the minister realised that the name Mida was mentioned by blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK), who claimed that Mida has handed over thousands of acres of land to CCCC.

“RPK also claimed that the granting of land and project to CCCC worth RM10bil was a side deal in the ECRL project.

“So if all refused to answer, does that mean the claim is true?” Dr Wee asked in a statement yesterday.

Although he was not named in Dr Wee’s statement, Datuk Darell Leiking is the International Trade and Industry Minister.

Dr Wee had also asked the minister to disclose details about the MoU signed in Beijing on April 25, but claimed that the latter did not provide a satisfactory answer.

He said he expected the minister to give a full explanation about the details of the MoU because what had been published by the media was limited.

“The minister’s answer about the details of the MoU was the same as what was published in the newspapers such as creating economic opportunities including building an industrial park, logistics hub and development based on the ECRL project.

“At least state the job scope for both parties, terms and con­ditions and other matters that are usually contained in the MoU,” said Dr Wee.

In a reply in Parliament to Dr Wee’s question on whether land was given to CCCC, the minister said the issue was beyond the jurisdiction of his ministry.

“In relation to that, it is suggested for the YB Ayer Hitam to refer to the jurisdiction as well as the current guidelines of the state government authorities on the matter,” he said in the reply.