The BN Strategic Communication Director said this in response to an invitation from Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to visit Komtar and scrutinise the details on the project.

“Very little will be achieved by showing the papers just to me alone. He should instead offer the same invitation to others, especially those who are based in Penang, Rahman said.

He was referring to anti-corruption group, C4; and two Penang-based NGOs – civil society group, Chant; and the Consumers’ Association of Penang – besides two DAP assemblymen and their PKR counterparts who have also raised questions about this tunnel project.

“To date, none of them (NGOs) have received any satisfactory reply. The revelation in the state assembly that the State Public Accounts Committee report on the Penang Tunnel project has been twice delayed is also evidence that proper answers are still wanting,” Rahman added.

Rahman, who is also Minister of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government, suggested Lim make public all the relevant documents in their entirety.

“This would of course involve declassifying the state exco minutes, including the justification for the award, available for public consumption. This way we can let the public decide.”

He also chided Lim for not sending any response to him directly, but only through his Exco.

The invitation to Rahman was issued by Penang Exco Lim Hock Seng in a reply on May 12 pertaining to the RM6.34 billion Penang Tunnel project awarded to Consortium Zenith BUCG.

“I have waited (more than) a week to issue this statement as I wanted to wait for the questions to be raised by the PKR and DAP assemblymen in the Penang State Assembly session, and for the Penang Government to provide answers.

“To my disappointment, the questions asked were neither hard-hitting nor specific enough. On the same note, the answers given by the Penang Government seemed unclear and, at times, evasive,” he said.