In a Facebook posting, Wee also questioned whether Lim had provided an allocation in the 2020 Budget for the project. “Please point out the page or paragraph in the 2020 Budget speech,” he said, adding there was no mention of the matter.
Lim had said in a report by DAP organ Roketkini that the airport project was being cancelled along with a proposed Penang Hill cable car project as a form of political vengeance.
In response, Wee said he had previously explained in Parliament that all airport expansion and development projects had to be postponed because the Covid-19 pandemic had badly affected civil aviation, with full recovery only expected in two years.
“In the meantime the transport ministry will carry out a National Airport Strategic Plan study for the existing 42 airports,” he said, and added, “Surely (neither) the ministry nor the government is carrying out political vengeance on all states with airports.”
Wee said airport concessionaire Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) had confirmed that no allocations were provided by the previous administration to upgrade Penang airport. The company said it had planned to use its own reserves to fund the project.
He said MAHB had suffered losses of more than RM1 billion by sustaining airport operations since restrictions on travel and public activities were imposed since March.
The company should have the right to make adjustments to their spending to face the post-Covid-19 era, he said.
The exchange between the two political rivals came hours after former prime minister Najib Razak had asked for an investigation into possible abuse of power by the previous government over the sudden departure of a top official of MAHB.
Najib had also suggested there was a link to a proposal to privatise the airport project to a developer on a 30-year concession.
Yesterday, Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeoh said he had asked Wee to exempt the Penang project from the airport strategic plan so that the planned improvement works could be carried out.
MAHB has proposed extending the passenger terminal, improving aircraft handling facilities to handle more aircraft, and increasing the size of the car park.