In his blog post yesterday, Najib said with two bridges connecting Penang island and Seberang Perai, “the undersea tunnel would be a waste of the rakyat’s money”.
Lim said the tunnel would only be completed in 2027, at a time when the two crossings at Prai and Batu Kawan are expected to reach their maximum capacity.
“By that time (2027), we would need a third crossing. Why is Najib saying it is a waste of public funds. Why doesn’t he say it is not necessary, instead?” the DAP secretary-general asked at a press conference today.
Lim said Najib had witnessed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of the proposed undersea tunnel and roads project in April 2011, but never raised any objections then.
“Has he forgotten that he was standing next to me and Chinese premier Wen Jiabao witnessing the signing of the MoU between the Penang government and a Chinese company back in 2011?
“Only after seven years, he feels it is unnecessary and a waste of public funds. Is it because of the general election or he is influenced by MCA president Liow Tiong Lai and his deputy Wee Ka Siong?
“I will give the PM the benefit of the doubt, he is a very busy man. I do not mind meeting him to explain about the project,” Lim said.
Yesterday, Najib published his speech, which touched on the #UndiRosak movement and the future BN policies, on his blog www.najibrazak.com.
“In Penang, not enough with the bungalow scandal, we are now seeing an accusation of a scandal of monstrous proportions through the undersea tunnel.
“We already have two bridges in Penang, so why do we need to waste the rakyat’s (people’s) money to build an undersea tunnel,” he asked.
The undersea tunnel project is slated to begin in 2023, if studies show that it was feasible to do so. As of Dec 2017, the feasibility and detail design studies were reported to be at 95.9%.
The tunnel’s accompanying three roads project – a series of bypasses that criss-crosses the island – have been given the nod by federal regulators and is expected to begin next year.
The RM6.3 billion tunnel and roads project was won by Consortium Zenith Sdn Bhd in 2013 in an open tender, with the main contractor being China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC).