TTF: Putrajaya’s hesitation over the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project ultimately hurts Malaysian taxpayers, the Straits Times of Singapore was quoted as saying said today.
It said Malaysia would bear the case if it finally goes before a court or an arbitration tribunal, but the price will be much smaller if the project is terminated now.
On the 14th of March 2018, I wrote (in red):
On the 1st of January 2001, Syarikat Pengeluaran Air Sungai Selangor Sdn Bhd (SPLASH) became the second concessionaire to enter the Selangor water scene by bagging a 30-year contract to maintain the Sungai Selangor Dam. The company was 40 percent Gamuda Berhad owned while the remaining 60 percent of its shares were split between Kumpulan Perangsang Selangor Berhad (KPSB) and Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah. Wan Azmi was (and still is) a well known associate of Daim Zainuddin and is someone who shares a rapport of sorts with both Anwar and his wife.
Now, what does this tell you?
Well, it tells you that SPLASH is controlled by a Tan Sri who is as much a Mahathirist as he is an Anwarist. Then, you have the guys at KPSB who are controlled one way or the other by Dato’ Seri Azmin Ali via Menteri Besar Selangor (Incorporated), the state’s asset management company. Factor all this together, and you have sufficient grounds to reason that SPLASH is 60 percent Pakatan Harapan ‘controlled’ and not a ‘Barisan Nasional entity’ as Hannah Yeoh would have you believe.
Then, just yesterday, I added (in red):
There are 101 reasons why Mahathir and Dato’ Seri Azmin Ali would want the HSR project to be scrapped.
The duo are attempting to break every possible link there may be between Anwar, Wan Azmi and Gamuda’s largest shareholder, Raja Dato’ Seri Eleena Raja Azlan Shah.
Raja Eleena is the daughter of Raja Azlan Shah and happens also to be listed in Forbes’ 40 Richest Malaysians as among the country’s richest women.
Both Mahathir and Azmin are concerned that Anwar may share a rapport of sorts with Raja Eleena though the Sultan of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah.
To prevent Anwar’s men from gaining control of SPLASH, Mahathir decided to scrap the HSR project to plunge Gamuda’s shares into a tailspin.
He then got his cronies to snap some of those shares up and is now a major player in the Selangor water scene.
Question is, was Vincent among the cronies who helped him sink his teeth into the Gamuda pie by proxy?
Yes, Malaysian taxpayers are the ones who will ultimately bear the brunt of the government’s decision to scrap the HSR project.
The cancellation has nothing to do with efforts to reduce the national debt or the country’s Debt-to-GDP ratio.
It does, however, have to do with a long range program by Mahathir and Azmin to gain control of the water treatment, supply and distribution scene in Selangor.
KUALA LUMPUR: Putrajaya’s hesitation over the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project ultimately hurts Malaysian taxpayers, the Straits Timessaid today.
In an article written by its deputy political editor Elgin Toh, the Singaporean daily said Malaysia risks accumulating a larger cost eventually by delaying a decision on the project.
“There is one more reason the Malaysian government should desist from its current behaviour: The chickens will come home to roost, because the Malaysian government is, in the long run, hurting Malaysian taxpayers most,” he said.
It said Malaysia would bear the case if it finally goes before a court or an arbitration tribunal, but the price will be much smaller if the project is terminated now.
“Of course, the Malaysian government may not have any intention to pay. But if push comes to shove, the Singapore government can take action against assets in Singapore belonging to the Malaysian government.
“That is drastic action, but Singaporeans should support such action should the day come,” Toh said.
ST also said that the circumstances surrounding the project would be public knowledge to any country or company that wishes to negotiate a deal with Putrajaya or its state-owned firms next.
“If Malaysia develops a reputation for not honouring contracts and for acting in bad faith, it will either not be able to find partners for projects it wants to work on, or the partners may be willing to enter deals only for a much higher fee,” it added.
In Singapore’s Parliament yesterday its transport minister Khaw Boon Wan said the republic has spent more than S$250 million (RM743.4 million) on the HSR project as of May this year.
He added that since a significant amount has been spent, it will be “completely wasted expenditure if the project does not proceed”.
Despite sending a diplomatic note to Malaysia on June 1 to seek clarification on its position on the HSR project, Singapore has yet to receive a reply, Khaw added.
Last month, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad told Channel NewsAsia in an interview that it is just “not so urgent” to keep Singapore informed on its decision on the HSR project.
Source: Yahoo! News
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