Annuar Musa questions why Guan Eng excluded from China trip
(The Star) – A senior Umno lawmaker wants the Pakatan Harapan Government to clarify why Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng was left out from the Prime Minister’s planned trip to China.
Tan Sri Annuar Musa asked whether Lim’s exclusion was due to Beijing denying him entry into China.
“There are claims that Lim had been denied entry into China, as he had offended the Chinese government,” the Keterah MP said when debating the Supply (Reallocation of Appropriated Expenditure) Bill 2018 on Monday (Aug 13).
“Is it true that there are claims that the Finance Minister was not denied entry into China by the Chinese government?
“There could be a misunderstanding, or this could be due to the Malaysian government’s action that had upset the Chinese government,” Annuar Musa said in the Dewan Rakyat.
The Keterah MP made the claims in reference to recent raids carried out by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on several Chinese companies last month.
“The claims may be false, but the image of the Finance Minister has been adversely affected,” he added.
On July 18, more than 50 officers from the anti-graft agency raided 13 locations in the Klang Valley.
The raids were said to be in connection to investigations into mega projects – the Multi Product Pipeline (MPP), Trans-Sabah Gas Pipeline (TGSP) and the East Coast Rail Line (ECRL).
On July 6, the Finance Ministry announced the suspension of three contracts with Chinese companies, with two of them being pipeline schemes handled by Suria Strategic Energy Resources Sdn Bhd (SSER).
On July 3, Lim announced that the final cost of the ECRL was a staggering RM81bil and that the 688-km rail project would only be continued once the cost was lowered to a financially-viable level.
Prior to this, the previous Barisan Nasional government had said that the project would cost RM55bil.
Citing “national interest”, Malaysia Rail Link Sdn Bhd (MRL) has ordered ECRL’s main contractor – China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) – to halt all engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) contract works, pending further instruction.
The RM4.53bil TSGP comprises a 662km-gas pipeline from Kimanis to Sandakan and Tawau.
Lim said that the project raised suspicion, as 85% of the money was paid, but only 13% of real work done.
