Saturday, December 20, 2008

Electrified Double-Tracking Project (TransASIAN railway)


The EDTP is an project for the rakyat, it is a project for the future. Lim Guan Eng should prevent further delay!!!

The following are parts of a press comference held today:-

1. PGRM State Youth view with great concern the public rows over the Electrified Double-Tracking Project (EDTP) between Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Gamuda Bhd.

2. At a Transparency International talk in Kuala Lumpur on 11th September 2008, titled Reinventing Penang State Administration; and at 4th Asia Economic Summit in Hong Kong on 9th December 2008; Lim Guan Eng talk about the mechanism of a public-private partnership or PPP model of a win-win formula.

3. Yet, The Penang State Government took a reactive stand on the land acquisition problems for EDTP and an offensive stand against Gamuda. This is against what he had proposed himself in term of a mechanism of public-private partnership (PPP).

4. Such public rows do not augur well for Penang especially after the Kings of Tennis debacle. The debacle had scared away Events Management companies from bringing major events to Penang. Now, these public rows, if not nip in the bud, may scare away major corporations. Lim Guan Eng enjoy claiming credit to getting this and that investment, yet, he is clearly scaring away investors.

5. Threatening, boycotting and also accusing a private company as “not reliable” or playing the fool with Penang State Govt will not resolve the problem.

6. Lim Guan Eng said that he will only want to deal with reliable investment partners. What is the definition for a reliable investment partners? Is it company that keep quiet when there is clearly a problem or a company that will kowtow to him?

7. Lim Guan Eng said compensation by Gamuda is not enough, and had requested for higher compensation in August 2008. According to him, there was no reply from Gamuda. Hence, the state government did not do the gazetting. What did the government do for the past five months? Waiting for the problem to resolve itself! Be Proactive!!!

8. Lim Guan Eng should understand that whether the compensation is reasonable or not reasonable is not determine by the government or Gamuda. It’s the valuation and the legal processes that will determine the amount of compensation.

9. If the state government will not gazette the land involved, it is near impossible to do the actual and best valuation? Therefore there will be no end.

10. Where is the PPP mechanism? The public rows with Gamuda can be resolved through proper negotiation, valuation and legal processes with all concern parties. The Penang State government should establish a new timeline with Gamuda to enable the original completion target date of January 2013 to be met.

11. It may help, if Lim Guan Eng can go to Perak,Kedah or Perlis to study why there are no major problems there for the land acquisition.

12. The EDTP is a important social and economic catalyst for the future of Penang, Malaysia, Indo China and China. The Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng must realize this, and not sacrifice the future social and economic benefits of the rakyat for his own political agenda or ego, or Lim Guan Eng may have good intention, but this row will cause the Rakyat and those directly affected to suffer due to the uncertainty and the delay.


Brief Benefits Of The EDTP
1. This project is part of the TransAsian rail link from Beijing/Kunming to Singapore and with it completion will bring a host of social and economic benefit to the people in the whole region.
2. Upon completion of this EDTP, major stations on the railway line will received the benefits generated – social, business, tourism,cargo.
3. Upon completion of this EDTP,the improvement in speed, reliability and flexibility of railway transport will boost tremendously freight and passenger traffic. For example a Pen-KL trip will take only 3 hours.
4. Locally, the EDTP will elevate the constant traffic jams at the vicinity of railways gates.
5. The EDTP can be the backbone for future commuter services in the northern area, similar to the Klang Valley commuter services.
6. The EDTP will also increase the safety and security of the railway reserve area and prevent mishaps. Over-reliance on road transport is unsustainable, especially during congestion on expressways and festive seasons.
7. The EDTP will eventually be environmental friendly.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Guan Eng is a great fighting cockeral.

Anonymous said...

PENANG, Dec 28 (Bernama) -- Penang Gerakan today urged both the state and the federal governments to set aside their political differences and work together to attract more foreign investors to the state.

Penang Gerakan Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan said that during the current global financial meltdown, both the federal and state governments must take all necessary measures to ensure that existing investors remain and continue to re-invest in the state rather than relocate elsewhere.

"Both governments must work together to coordinate efforts to create a more conducive environment which is business friendly to encourage existing investors to stay on in the country," he said in a statement.

He also said that the state government should prepare a detailed and comprehensive working paper which encompasses the aspect of retrenchment as the last resort, retrenchment benefits, job placements, re-training and technological transformation.

"The state government should then work closely with the federal government during these difficult times to ensure the success of all the programmes contained in the working paper," he said.

Teng said the economic downturn could result in a rise in unemployment and it was inevitable that there would also be a rise in the crime rate.

"Hence, the state government and the local authorities should work hand-in-hand with the police to tackle crime and to make sure that the crime rate stays at its lowest," he said.

-- BERNAMA