Hiew (centre) showing the proof of over priced projects.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah DAP adviser Hiew King Cheu ahs questioned the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development about the high cost of water supply and electrification projects inrural areas.
He said there were some 49 contracts awarded to various companies to provide water and electricity supplies to various rural areas in the state.
“The costly projects of the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development have shocked the people.
“In Sabah, there are some 49 contracts awarded to various companies, covering areas from Pulau Panggi to Sipitang, and from the East Coast to the West coast and even on the islands.
“DAP recently discovered that the projects were extraordinarily and shockingly costly, where the difference between the lowest tender and the ‘selected contractor’ was so huge and some were 1,500 per cent higher,” he claimed yesterday.
The Kota Kinabalu member of parliament said the projects were for rural water supply and electrification for 2011 to 2012.
He said results showed that the lowest tender did not get the job, but a tenderer placed at number 22 on the list of tenderers was awarded the job.
“This is highly irregular,” Hiew said.
He also pointed out that the ‘Projek Bekalan Elektrik Luar Bandar (BELB) Sambungan Talian Grid Satu (1) Negeri Sabah Tahun 2011-2012’ was awarded with a contract price of RM41,736,809.77 while the lowest bid was quoted at only RM7,775,000.00.
“The ‘Projek Bekalan Elektrik Luar Bandar (BELB) Sistem Solar Hibrid’ on Semporna island was given to a tenderer who quoted a price of RM95,282,322.00.
“The Solar Hibrid project to produce electricity for Pulau Panggi was contracted for RM81,475,281.42 with an 18-month completion period,” he said, adding that the power supply to Pulau Gaya cost RM42 million with a 24-month completion period.
He questioned the rationale in spending a huge amount of money to connect power to Pulau Gaya which actually required a few kilometers of undersea cable.
“The power supply from Labuan to be connected to the main power grid may not cost that much.
“There is already a power station on Pulau Gaya, and what the people there urgently needed is water supply. Why has the government not done anything to help them?” he said.
Hiew requested the Barisan Nasional (BN) government to explain why the Rural Development Ministry had awarded such highly priced contracts to companies, some of which are unknown in the construction industry.