Causeway replacement: What's the final cost?
So, what's the final cost for the building, or the cancelling, of the half-bridge to replace the Johor Causeway on the Malaysian side, a project that was awarded to Gerbang Perdana Sdn Bhd?
The last count was RM1.113 billion if you build it, and RM1.12 billion if you cancel it.
Or in the no-uncertain words of Parliamentary Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, it's cheaper to build than to cancel it.
SOURCE: Malaysiakini
Now, the government is in a further bind because, according to Bernama, Gerbang Perdana has submitted a claim of RM360 million for work done after the government decided to scrap the project last April. PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has gone on record earlier by saying that the company's preliminary claims was in the region of RM100 million.
July 3, Gerbang Perdana chairman Razali Ismail denied providing "outlandish claims" following the cancellation of the Johor bridge project replacing the Causeway. He said whatever the figure his company had given "would have been figures which they had seriously looked at".
For now, Works Minister S. Samy Vellu has come out with a new tap-dance by saying that Gerbang Perdana has been given an extension of two months from next Tuesday to submit claims for compensation relating to the cancellation of the project.
The Minister said the deadline for the company to submit the claims was supposed to be July 11 but it had applied for an extension.
1996 and 30 years
Do you know that, in 1996, a company related to tycoon Vincent Tan's Berjaya Group had submitted a 'pau ka liao' bid to replace an existing causeway link to Singapore with a RM1.1 billion road and rail link?
We do not know why the Mahathir administration had rejected Berjaya Group's proposal. However, we were told that the company needed 30 years to complete the project.
This is something which was not transparent in P. Gunasegaram's 22 questions to Dr Mahathir, especially in Question 13 (Cronyism and Patronage) and Question 14 (Privatisation).
I can see the 'Aha' in your face.
This is a new item culled from Factiva archive:
Malaysia's Berjaya group unit bids for causeway deal 271 words 18 September 1996 Agence France-Presse English (Copyright 1996)KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 (AFP) - Transwater Corp. Bhd. of Malaysia's Berjaya group said Wednesday it had submitted a bid to replace an existing causeway link to Singapore with a 1.1-billion ringgit (440-million-dollar) road and rail link.
Transwater said in a statement the proposal was submitted through its unit Detik Nagasari Sdn. Bhd. to the Economic Planning Unit in the prime minister's department.
The company said the proposal includes the development of a waterfront area and would involve the rebuilding of the customs, immigration and quarantine complex.
The project, to be undertaken under the build-operate-transfer system, will take 30 years to complete, the statement said.
Transwater said another unit, Sejati Avenue Sdn. Bhd., has submitted a proposal to develop a 23.9-acre (9.56-hectare) plot in Kuala Lumpur. It gave no further details of the project.
Berjaya, controlled by the politically well-connected entrepreneur Vincent Tan, has been among several companies eyeing the causeway deal after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad proposed in July replacing the existing 72-year-old link with a bridge.
Mahathir said the causeway should be demolished to open the narrow Tebrau strait separating Malaysia and Singapore to shipping.
Kuala Lumpur-based Ibex Corp Amalgamated Sdn. Bhd. was in July reported to have submitted an outline of its proposal, including four bridge designs, to the government.
The causeway was opened in June 1924. Some 17,000 cars, 21,000 motorcycles and 93,000 people cross it each day. Ferries were used before the causeway was built.
osl/djw AFP AFP
Additional information about Transwater
Transwater issues 51m new shares. 112 words 23 April 2003 Business Times 6 English (c) 2003TRANSWATER Corp Bhd has issued a total of 51 million new shares of RM1 each at an issue price of RM1 to Bizurai Bijak Sdn Bhd, making it an 82.3 per cent-owned subsidiary of Berjaya Group Bhd. Bizurai Bijak is currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berjaya Group.
On April 11, Transwater served a notice of takeover offer to Hyundai-Berjaya Sdn Bhd to acquire the remaining 49 per cent stake in the latter to be satisfied via the issuance of 49 million new Transwater shares. Assuming full acceptance of the offer, Transwater will become a 46.6 per cent associate company of Berjaya Group.
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