Kota Kinabalu: Parti Warisan President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal denies that he is responsible for the delay of the Pan Borneo Highway project in Sabah.
Quoting the 2019 Audit Report, he said the decision to terminate the project delivery partner (PDP) involved in the project was made by the previous federal government.
The Senallang Assemblyman said during that time, the then Finance Minister (Lim Guan Eng) had said that 5.5 per cent out of the RM12 billion, which was almost RM700 million in fees, was to be paid to the PDP.
“It was the then federal government that decided to terminate the project delivery partner (PDP).
The State Government had nothing to do with the termination as alleged by certain quarters,” said Shafie, who was Chief Minister from 2018 and 2020, when debating at the State Assembly sitting, Monday.
In the audit report, Shafie also said it cost about RM33 million for land acquisition in Sarawak that was meant for the construction of the road but the amount for Sabah was RM1.2 billion.
He also denied that the then-Warisan government had stopped any contractors from continuing with the highway project.
However, Shafie said after the termination of the PDP, the project was given to the Public Works Department in Sabah and Sarawak respectively.
“Why would we give it to the PDP? It had no engineers in Tawau, Kimanis, Kudat and Sandakan. But there were engineers at PWD. Why don’t we make use of them as we need not pay (additional fees)?
“PDP also found out in the audit report that (some) of those companies were not qualified financially and were inexperienced (in handling road construction). Why give (the projects) to such sub-contractors?”
In response to Shafie, Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Public Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said the PDP was a joint venture between a Sabah-based company and two other companies.
“I would like to clarify that it was not my firm as during that time, between 2016 and 2018, I was only a managing director.
“Whatever happened, it is merely a difference of views.”
