Goh Bok Yen said a three-month tenure for the head of a billion-ringgit project did not make sense as the Circle Line was still in the works.

“The Circle Line project is the final piece of the Klang Valley’s public transport puzzle. It will ensure connection to all other public transport networks including the buses, KTM trains, LRT, MRT 1 and 2, and so on,” Goh said.

He said MRT Corp chief executive officer Zarif Hashim is in charge of the Circle Line, which is part of the MRT3 project.

“Since he has been doing a good job, he should be allowed to see it through, because we don’t want the project to face hiccups,” he said.

Zarif’s two-year contract expired on July 14. He has been given a three-month extension, according to The Edge weekly, which said there is immense lobbying for the CEO’s post as the entire contract value of the MRT3 project could reach the RM40 billion mark, with construction costs alone estimated at RM31 billion.

It was previously reported that MRT Corp was adopting a hybrid financing model for the project even though the finance ministry has given a RM50 billion funding commitment.

Goh said regardless of who was in charge of MRT Corp, a three-month tenure for the head of a billion-ringgit project did not make sense.

“Unless there is a very good reason to replace him (Zarif), he should not be given a three-month contract. For a project of this scale and importance, it is vital that you have certainty in leadership.”

The MRT3 line has a 50.8km circular alignment running along the perimeter of Kuala Lumpur. It will consist of 31 stations, 10 of which will be interchange stations with eight existing rail lines in the Klang Valley.