PETALING JAYA: Despite a near threefold increase in rural road allocations, questions remain over why projects were deferred and contractors were left awaiting payment, says MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The Ayer Hitam MP said the public wanted a clear answer on whether the projects would proceed, rather than explanations over whether they had been cancelled or deferred.
“If a project is deferred, it means it is not being carried out. The people only want to know whether the project is there or not,” he said in a TikTok video on Saturday (Oct 31).
Former finance minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz recently said the Finance Ministry had not ordered the cancellation of rural road projects, but had deferred new contracts to prevent arrears owed to contractors from mounting.
Tengku Zafrul said the deferment was necessary because rural road development expenditure had exceeded the annual allocations Parliament approved since 2022, leading to higher contractual commitments and outstanding payments.
Dr Wee said increased allocations did not necessarily mean that projects had been properly planned or managed.
“The government says allocations for rural roads have almost tripled and that the people should therefore not question deferred projects.
“Sorry, but higher allocations do not mean management has become more efficient,” he said.
He noted that the national budget had increased from RM332bil in 2022 to RM510bil under Budget 2027.
“Why are contractors still waiting for payment and why are road projects still stalled?” he asked.
Dr Wee said the government had acknowledged that commitments exceeding available allocations had occurred repeatedly.
“If this has been known for years, where was the planning and monitoring? Who was supposed to ensure that the payment schedule matched the progress of projects?
“The Rural and Regional Development Ministry, Public Works Department, Economic Planning Unit and Finance Ministry are not four separate governments. They are all part of the same government.
“The people should not have to bear the consequences of weak coordination among ministries in the Madani government,” he said.
Dr Wee also questioned whether the RM2.27bil allocated for rural road development under Budget 2027 would be sufficient to meet future commitments.
He said Tengku Zafrul had acknowledged that the RM3.1bil allocation for 2026, including an additional RM500mil approved to settle outstanding payments to contractors, was still insufficient.
“So how will the original RM2.27bil allocation for 2027 cover the commitments ahead? Show the payment and implementation schedules. That is what the people want to know,” he said.
He urged the government to disclose actual claims and expenditure, the number of kilometres of roads completed, the number of delayed projects and the amount still owed to contractors.
“Bigger allocation figures do not answer why projects have been deferred and why contractors have not been paid,” he said.
Tengku Zafrul had said the Finance Ministry never issued a directive to cancel rural road projects, but deferred new contracts after expenditure exceeded annual allocations approved by Parliament since 2022.
He said the move was aimed at preventing outstanding payments to contractors from rising further, while existing projects would continue.
According to Tengku Zafrul, the government allocated RM11bil for rural road development from 2023 to 2027, compared with RM3.7bil for the 2018-2022 period.
He said RM500mil had been approved this year to settle outstanding payments to contractors, while Budget 2027 allocated RM2.27bil for rural road development.
