Lim said not only had Rahman “chickened out” from a debate with him on the issue but the latter had also been disparaged for being a “slow student”.

“Rahman is singularly unfit to be a minister when he not only chickened out of his own challenge to debate with me by running away overseas, but also demonstrated his lack of courage by telling lies from the safety of his air-conditioned ministerial office,” Lim said in a statement today.

The federal minister had posed a series of questions on the RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel over the past two months. These were diligently answered by the Penang government.

However, Rahman claims the answers by the state government were convoluted and not on point.

Earlier on, Rahman had asked Lim for a debate on the issue, but police poured cold water on it. They said the debate might jeopardise the investigations into graft claims against Lim, which he had denied.

Meanwhile, Lim said he would ask State Public Works Committee Chairman Lim Hock Seng to answer his latest series of questions on the undersea tunnel.

“However, I have directed Hock Seng to be patient like a teacher with a slow student and respond again tomorrow,” Lim said, referring to Hock Seng’s “no more answers” to Rahman’s questions.

Hock Seng said he was fed up of answering Rahman’s questions, as the latter kept asking questions which had already been answered.

Meanwhile, Lim said toll had to be imposed on the undersea tunnel as it will cost two times more than a bridge.

“The state government has no choice but to impose toll to finance the high cost of an undersea bed tunnel with a land swap.

“However, if the Federal Government can give approval to the state government to build a bridge instead of the tunnel, the savings gained can be used to finance a toll-free bridge.”

Lim also countered Rahman’s claim that the 30-year concession period awarded for the undersea tunnel “was too long”.

“Rahman has lied once again. He need not go around the world – the answer is right before his very eyes – the North-South Expressway (NSE).

“The NSE was awarded a concession agreement for 30 years and this was then extended for another 20 years until 2038.

“Worse, the West Coast Highway from Banting (Selangor) to Taiping (Perak) is for a record 60-year concession period,” Lim said.

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