KUCHING: State DAP chairman Chong Chieng Jen has posed more questions to the state Barisan Nasional (BN) on the awarding of Pan Borneo Highway project.
He asked why the board of the main contractor – Lebuhraya Borneo Utara Sdn Bhd (LBU) – was controlled by Peninsular Malaysians.
“While the government claims to help Bumiputeras, why is there not a single Dayak in the board of directors or shareholdings of LBU or its holding companies? Dayaks are also Bumiputeras, why are they left out?
“While the chief minister is preaching integrity and transparency and that the state cabinet ministers have signed the so-called ‘Integrity Pledge’, why is the contract worth more than RM10 billion awarded without open tender process?
“While LBU has only been registered in 2011 and zero track record in construction and any trading activity, why was LBU appointed as the main contractor? Is the government intending to continue with the ‘Ali Baba’ modus operandi in the implementation of its projects,” he said in a press statement yesterday.
Chong, who is Bandar Kuching MP and Kota Sentosa assemblyman, said it would make better sense for the government to break down the whole stretch of Pan Borneo Trunk Road into 20 to 30 smaller contracts.
He also suggested the government carried out open tender processes and award the contracts directly to the ones doing the work rather than going through LBU, which would get the lion’s share of commission or profits, leaving the actual contractors with smaller budgets to deliver the job.
He claimed that a state cabinet minister “is either playing ignorant or just pure ignorant” by saying the works for the said project would not be dominated by one single race.
“The whole contract has already been awarded to LBU. It is now up to LBU to decide who the sub-contractors are. It is well-known in the industry that the main contractor will take 10 to 20 per cent of the money and leaving the balance for the sub-contractors who are actually doing the job.
“As the minister in-charge of public works, it would be a joke if he is not aware of this improper practice which has become a norm in public construction works for the government.”
Chong hoped the state BN could be accountable to the people of Sarawak and respond to his questions.