MAHB "Liars" Over KLIA2 Fiasco

Pakatan brands MAHB as 'liars' over KLIA2 delay

Ram Anand
12:05PM May 27, 2013

Pakatan Rakyat had demanded that the Transport Ministry and Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB) disclose the delay and cost of the construction of the new KLIA2 low cost terminal, which has been delayed indefinitely.

Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua and Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar branded MAHB as "incompetent liars" for saying that the terminal will be completed by June this year in a statement released in March, only to state after the elections that it has been delayed indefinitely.

Pua pointed out that the cost of construction for the terminal - which was initially scheduled to be completed in September 2011 - had already escalated to RM4 billion in 2012 from RM1.7 billion when it was first announced.

"We won't be surprised if the cost reaches RM5 billion by the time it’s completed," Pua said, adding that he would not be surprised if the airport is actually completed only by June next year.

"They are missing the date here by at least six months," he further added.

Apart from demanding for the exact cost and deadline of construction, Pua and Nurul Izzah said that they will also seek a meeting with acting Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein in the near future.

“We had tried to meet the previous transport minister Kong Cho Ha several times before, since we raised this issue in 2011, but the meetings never took place. Now we will ask for an explanation from the new transport minister,” Pua said.

'Delay caused by shift in terminal location'

He said that inside sources have informed him that the delay in construction was caused by the shift in the location of the terminal, a decision that Pua had disputed in the past.

Pua had said in the past that the new location for the terminal, which is also in Sepang, is on land that is not feasible and could escalate construction costs.

And he said sources have confirmed that the nature of the land is contributing to the delay in construction.

Nurul Izzah said that the prolonged delay in completing the terminal could also affect the country’s reputation as new low-cost airlines such as Malindo Air were supposed to use the terminal beginning May this year.

They also showed images of the terminal construction taken earlier this month, with only the runway being completed but the terminal still being built.

“We have said in March itself that this project cannot be completed by the said deadline,” Pua said.