The BN criticised the Pandan MP for not responding to the government’s proof that he had lifted dubious data from the Internet, to attack the government’s MRT project, in a statement released yesterday.
“We note that Rafizi did not comment on the actual content of our exposure but instead chose to label us as ‘Cybertroopers. This suggests that Rafizi realises he has been exposed as a fraud who relied on wrong information,” the BN strategic communications team said.
On Wednesday, the BN exposed Rafizi for having taken outdated and unofficial data from an anonymous WordPress blog with the name “Pedestrian Observations” in an effort to show the government had overspent on the MRT project.
“He alleged that the recently-opened MRT-SBK project cost more than double of MRT projects in South Korea and Spain.
“He clearly used data from the blog, which had listed the 27km Seoul Line 9 MRT project as costing USD$43 million per km and the Barcelona Sants-La Sagrera MRT project of 5.8km as costing US$39 million per km,” BN said, adding that Rafizi had then compared these numbers with the MRT-SBK project which he said cost US$103 million per km.
As the BN revealed in a previous statement, official government-based data on the Seoul project listed the cost as amounting to US$152 million per km, information that was accessible in a study by the Korean Development Institute.
“Even the Seoul Metropolitan Government gave its average construction cost for its various MRT lines built at different points in time as US$105 million per km (as of 2010).
“This information too, is accessible from an official website,” the BN said.
The BN also slammed Rafizi for an even worse comparison of a Barcelona project example, as it was not even an MRT or subway system, but a tunnel construction.
“The Barcelona Sants-La Sagrera ‘MRT project’ of 5.8km that Rafizi said cost US$39 million per km is also NOT an MRT project.
“It is just one 5.8km tunnel stretch (that cost) €179·3 million to build – with no stations, no depots, no signalling system or trains. This is clearly stated in a railways trade journal, Railway Gazette,” BN said, ridiculing Rafizi for not knowing the difference between a bare tunnel and an MRT project in making the comparison in costs.
The BN team said that after so many false allegations by Rafizi, it was “no longer funny” nor something that could be brushed off.
“As a member of parliament, Rafizi has repeatedly made baseless accusations that incite the public using outright-wrong data.
“He should stop this dangerous slandering game. It is not harmless like having a seafood dinner.”