Press Statement By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town On 16 March 2018.
My wife, Betty Chew, a lawyer, wondered aloud how MCA Deputy President Wee Ka Siong can spin a RM6.3 billion public infrastructure project consisting of 3 highways and an undersea tunnel(the project) to suddenly cost RM20 billion. As a lawyer, she states that once you sign an agreement for the contracted price of RM6.3 billion, there is no way you can legally compel the state government to instead pay RM20.54 billion.
This is simple logic for anyone but Wee Ka Siong. Wee is lying again but this time he is making a RM20.54 billion lie to hide his cowardly failure to name which Penang state government leader had corruptly accepted millions of ringgit for this project. His refusal contrasts with Pakatan leaders boldly naming the corrupt leader behind the 1MDB financial scandal that has turned Malaysia into a global kleptocracy. If Pakatan dares to do so, why is Wee scared to do so. Or is Wee afraid of being sued because he knows he is lying and has no proof?
Wee lies like breathing air. He continues to recycle his lie that this project was improperly granted without fulfilling the minimum paid-up capital requirement of RM381 million. Wee did not mention names, but Wee is clearly making a baseless and unfair attack on the integrity of the Penang state secretary Dato Seri Farizan Darus, who heads the Penang Tender Committee that awarded the open tender to Zenith Consortium.
Even the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission(MACC) that has unjustly hounded the Penang state government over this non-existent scandal, does not question the fact that the minimum capital requirement of RM381 million was fulfilled by Zenith Consortium. Wee has failed to show proof that the RM381 million minimum paid-up capital requirement was not met, just as he failed to show proof which state government leader accepted corruption money.
I know that Wee Ka Siong is under pressure from UMNO forcing MCA to surrender Bandar Tun Razak parliamentary seat and unable to force Alor Gajah BN to accept Prime Minister’s chosen candidate and Political Secretary Wong Nai Chee to replace the incumbent Koh Nai Kwong. MCA is also unable to get back the Kuantan parliamentary seat promised by UMNO when MCA ‘loaned’ it to UMNO in 2013 general election. Wee is also humiliated that I have refused to debate him because he is not No. 1 in MCA but only No. 2. However this UMNO pressure and personal humiliation should not have pushed Wee over the edge to say that the project cost RM20.54 billion. Wee again ignores the fact that this project was conducted by open tender at a price of RM6.3 billion.
Insulating Against Rising Construction Costs.
Wee claims that the tunnel is not needed because there is still 50% available capacity for the Second Bridge. This 50% available capacity is for now. In 10 years time, the available capacity will be zero and filled instead with traffic congestion. The recent accidents on the Penang First Bridge causing severe jams is a reminder how vital a third link or tunnel is sorely needed. That is the reason the state government is planning ahead to build the tunnel by 2027.
To insulate against rising building and construction costs in 10 years, the state government has locked in the costs at present prices. As the state government has no cash, we have choice but to finance the project through a land swap. The state government also seeks to maximize our land value, by assessing it not at current value when the agreement was signed in 2013. Instead it is to be assessed at a possible future value of RM1,300 per sq feet in 2023, when construction of the tunnel commences.
Land Swapped At 2023 Future Value And No Traffic Volume Guarantees For Toll Concession.
Wee admits that the future land value of RM1,300 per sq feet for the land is high. In fact it is three times the estimated land value in 2013 of RM475 per sq feet. At the same time, Zenith has to source financing and pay the substantial interest cost.
That is why the toll concession is only for the tunnel(the other 3 highways are toll-free) and was made available to provide some opportunity for profit, or else no one would enter a bid for the contract. However, the state government refuses to provide a traffic volume guarantee in the toll concession to Zenith. No monetary compensation is needed to be paid to Zenith if traffic volume is low and does not meet their break-even operating costs. Traffic volume guarantees is a common feature in BN concession agreements to maximize profits for their cronies.
In other words, all risks are borne by Zenith, namely:-
· Paying the interest cost of sourcing loan financing;
· No traffic volume or profit guarantees,
· Zenith bear the risks of rising constructon costs and any drop in land values; and
· Even if there is any rise in land values by 2023, Zenith is unable to enjoy the benefits of any rise in land values when it is computed at a high 2023 future value.
Mad To Talk About RM20.54 Billion Cost When Contract Signed For RM6.3 Billion
It is dishonest of Wee to talk about Zenith benefting from rising land values but not talk about Zenith having to pay for rising construction costs in 10 years time. It is also dishonest for Wee to add in other road works, merely to make up the numbers for his fictitious RM20.54 billion, when these other roads such as the Pan Island Link has no bearing nor connection to this project. It does not make sense. There is no RM20.54 billion cost to Penang. The state government only signed for RM6.3 billion!
There is an old Greek saying that “Those whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.”
Wee Ka Siong, better to remain a coward.
A coward is a better fate than being a political lunatic.
LIM GUAN ENG
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槟城州首席部长林冠英于2018年3月16日在乔治市光大发表的文告
魏家祥现在又以205亿4000万令吉的新谎言，企图以懦夫行为掩饰他之前无法指名道姓到底是哪位州政府领袖在海底隧道与三条大道计划中涉及贪污受贿数百万令吉的谎言。
我的太太周玉清身为律师看了魏家祥这翻谎言，也不得不傻眼于魏家祥能扭曲事实至斯，竟然能忽然间就把原本63亿令吉的3条大道与海底隧道基础设施计划扭曲成200亿令吉的费用。她不吐不快的说当合约上白纸黑字列明63亿令吉，在法律上就不可能要求州政府缴付205亿4000万令吉。
这么简单的逻辑任谁都懂，只有魏家祥不懂。魏家祥现在又以205亿4000万令吉的新谎言，企图以懦夫行为掩饰他之前无法指名道姓到底是哪位州政府领袖在海底隧道与三条大道计划中涉及贪污受贿数百万令吉的谎言。 他没胆量指名道姓，完全与希盟各领袖在1MDB金融丑闻课题上勇于指名道姓哪位领袖牵涉在背后，是谁让大马遭冠上欺世盗国的恶名。如果希盟政府敢于这么做，为何魏家祥惧怕？难道魏家祥他深知自己正在毫无证据的说谎，害怕被起诉？
魏家祥说谎功力跟呼吸一样。他一直重复谎称此计划招标及发标过程没有符合最低缴足资本3亿8100万令吉的要求。魏家祥不敢指名道姓，但他这样做已经在毫无证据之下，攻击了槟城州秘书拿督斯里法力占的诚信，因为在州秘书主持槟城招标委员会之下，将这项公开招标计划发标给Zenith财团。
即便大马反贪委员会（MACC）在这项不存在的丑闻中如何不公平纠缠骚扰槟州政府，也不曾质疑过Zenith财团符合3亿8100万令吉缴足资本这项事实。魏家祥无法出示到底如何不符合最低3亿8100万令吉的证据，就跟他无法出示到底是哪位州政府领袖贪污受贿的证据一样。
我知道魏家祥如今因为巫统施压马华交出敦拉萨镇国席及无法逼迫阿罗牙也国阵接受首相人选及其政治秘书王乃志取代当地现任国会议员古乃光而深感压力。还有马华无法取回巫统之前答应归还，于2013年大选马华“出借”给巫统的关丹国席更让他压力重重。除此之外他也因为我碍于他不是马华第一把交椅而只是二号人物拒绝与他辩论而深感耻辱。但无论是巫统施压或个人耻辱，魏家祥也不应该不择手段的谎称这项计划将耗费205亿4000万令吉，而无视于这项公开招标的计划只有63亿令吉的事实。
预防兴建成本提高
魏家祥声称第二大桥尚有50%的车流量所以根本不需要兴建海底隧道，但须知这50%可是现在的流量。但在未来10年这些空余的50%流量将只剩下零，将导致交通阻塞。最近在槟城第一大桥的几起交通意外皆导致严重的交通阻塞，提醒人们对第3条通道或海底隧道的急迫性与必要性。因此州政府才要前瞻性的在2027年建好海底隧道。
为了预防未来10年兴建成本提高，州政府已经将成本“紧锁”在现在的价格。州政府没有所需的现金，所以我们别无选择只能用土地交换作为计划的偿还方式。因此州政府也把土地价值极大化，在2013年签约的时候，并不是以当时的土地价值为依据，而是以2023年当海底隧道动工时每方尺可能高达1300令吉的未来地价作为依据。
2023年的未来地价以土地换计划，海底隧道特许收费经营权不保障交通流量多寡或盈利风险.
魏家祥自己也承认未来每方尺1300令吉的地价太高。事实上这地价是2013年每方尺475令吉的3倍，与此同时Zenith则要自己自行负责去融资及偿还这段时间所需的利息。
这就是为什么只有海底隧道收过路费，而3条高速公路时免费的原因。因为获标公司也仅能靠着收海底隧道过路费获取一些盈利，不然根本就没有人会想要投资这项条件苛刻的计划与合约。要知道即便Zenith获得收取海底隧道过路费经营权但却不获州政府担保交通流量的多寡，因此一旦隧道交通流量少，无法负荷他们经营成本的时候，州政府将不担保作出赔偿。国阵的各大道特许经营权合约内就是充斥着这些交通流量担保赔偿的条约以确保他们朋党能利益极大化。
换句话说，Zenith得承担一切风险如下：
· 自行负责缴付融资利息；
· 不担保交通流量多寡或盈利与否；
· Zenith必须承担兴建成本提高或任何地价下跌的风险；
· 即使在2023年地价已经调涨，Zenith也无法在调涨的地价中获取利益，因为一早已经以2023年的未来地价计算。
发疯胡扯205亿4000万令吉无视实际签约只有63亿令吉的事实
魏家祥非常不老实，只选择谈Zenith将从地价调涨获利却不谈Zenith需要在未来10年自行承担兴建成本的调涨。魏家祥更加不老实的是还把其他的道路计划参杂在一起，为他幻想中的205亿4000万令吉的兴建费用圆谎。魏家祥企图掩人耳目将其他道路计划包括泛岛道路计划计算在内制造谎言，但这些其他计划根本就跟海底隧道计划毫无关系。槟城不曾要背负205亿4000万令吉的费用，州政府只签了63亿令吉的合约，魏家祥简直岂有此理，一派慌言！
希腊古谚有云：“上帝要人灭亡，必先令人疯狂”
魏家祥看来还是继续当懦夫好了。
懦夫的命运总好过沦落为政治疯子。
林冠英