Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Kong not aware of rail contract award
- Don’t debate Article 153, warns Muhyiddin
- Pakatan MPs claim Umno, Perkasa twisting Article 153
- Perkasa: Charge people like Rev Eu with sedition
- No need for Race Relations Act if people behave, says Ibrahim Ali
- Datuk's remand extended to Thursday
- Muhyiddin: Claims that aide received bribes will be investigated
- Muhyiddin: No bullying under Article 153
- Towards a bankrupt Malaysia?
- Umno’s politics of self-delusion
- Shafie’s hand in KDM Malaysia?
- Putrajaya contracts Gemas-JB double-track to Chinese firm
| Kong not aware of rail contract award Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:16 AM PST (Bernama) - Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha says he is not aware of any multi-billion ringgit contract being awarded to a Chinese firm for the construction of the Gemas-Johor Baru electrified double tracking project (EDTP). The Ministry of Transport is totally unaware as the awarding of the contract comes under the Ministry of Finance, he told Bernama when contacted today. Quoting sources, the report said CRBC was picked instead of another front runner -- China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) -- for the project estimated to be worth between RM7 billion and RM8 billion, after it was put under a mid-term review in the Ninth Malaysia Plan. The project includes the building of nearly 200km of parallel railway tracks, stations, depots, halts, yards and bridges and cover systems such as electrification, signalling and communications. It would also see a realignment between Pulau Sebang, Melaka and the Gemas section. The Gemas-Johor Baru sector would be the final link in the EDTP, with the other links being the Ipoh-Padang Besar and Seremban-Gemas lines. | |
| Don’t debate Article 153, warns Muhyiddin Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:05 AM PST He says Rev Eu's statement about Malays bullying others could cause racial tension. (Free Malaysia Today) - Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today rejected a Christian leader's allegation that Article 153 of the Federal Constitution allows the Malays to bully other Malaysians. He also said the statement by Eu Hong Seng, chairman of the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, could cause racial tension and warned against continuous debate on the subject. Eu, speaking on Saturday at a Christmas hi-tea, said Article 153 ought to cover the rights of all Malaysians, not just the Malays and the natives of Sarawak and Sabah. "When we talk of the rights of only one group, if I may suggest, that is bullying," he said. Speaking to reporters here, Muhyiddin said: "There is a reason, a rationale, behind the article. There is a history behind it." He did not elaborate, but referred to the so-called unwritten social contract that Barisan Nasional politicians are fond of citing when confronted with questions about preferential treatment of the Malays. He said the Barisan Nasional government had "done much to help everyone" and that this obligation was "sealed in the social contract". "I hope that there will be no debate on this matter as it could incite racial tension. What is already enshrined in the Constitution should not be questioned." Eu's statement provoked an angry reaction from the hardline Malay group Perkasa. It accused the church leader of attempting to instigate animosity against Malays. Perkasa's secretary-general, Syed Hasan Syed Ali, said Malaysian Christians must remember that they were free to practice their religion because of Article 153. According to his interpretation of the article, its safeguard of bumiputera rights mitigates against the community's economic discontent and thereby ensures the peace that makes free religious practice possible. The spat is the latest in a series of disputes that have lately soured Christian-Muslim relations.
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| Pakatan MPs claim Umno, Perkasa twisting Article 153 Posted: 27 Dec 2011 12:03 AM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - The constitutional provision outlining the special position of Bumiputeras has been manipulated by Umno and is now being used as a weapon of aggression, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers claimed today amid growing debate on the subject. On Saturday, National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) chairman Reverend Dr Eu Hong Seng said Article 153 of the Federal Constitution is akin to "bullying" if it only protects the rights of one group. Today, several PR lawmakers suggested that Article 153 was being intentionally conflated with the concept of "ketuanan Melayu", or Malay supremacy. "Reverend Eu mentioned it should be inclusive and I think it did try to cover it (inclusiveness)," PAS Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad said today. "Fundamentally it is inclusive but has been manipulated and it is not about protection anymore but aggression." Eu's remark sparked protest from Malay rights group Perkasa and drew a denial today from Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin that the provision had been used to bully any community. On Sunday, Perkasa claimed the provision kept the country peaceful, further claiming that the race riots of May 13, 1969 happened because it was not implemented properly. "This country is peaceful because of Article 153 which protects the rights of Bumiputeras who are the majority in this country. "The reverend needs to remember that Christians are able to practise their religion without worry in this country because of Article 153," Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hasan Syed Ali had said last week. Article 153 states that "it shall be the responsibility of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provisions of this Article." Constitutional expert Prof Abdul Aziz Bari also chimed in on Sunday to say this meant "the King must also make sure that (safeguarding Bumiputeras) must not be done at the expense of the legitimate interests of other communities." Today, Khalid echoed the view and similarly noted the inclusion of the phrase "other communities."
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| Perkasa: Charge people like Rev Eu with sedition Posted: 26 Dec 2011 11:59 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - The authorities must charge those who question Article 153 of the Constitution like Christian leader Rev Dr Eu Hong Seng with sedition to safeguard national security, Datuk Ibrahim Ali said today. "We demand the government use the Sedition Act on anyone who makes statements like this from now on and charge them in court," the Perkasa chief told reporters today. He was referring to a statement made on Saturday by National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) chairman Eu, who likened Article 153 to "bullying" for only protecting the rights of one group. Article 153 states that it is the King's responsibility "to safeguard the special position of the Malays and natives of any of the States of Sabah and Sarawak and the legitimate interests of other communities in accordance with the provisions of this Article". Calling Eu's statement "irresponsible provocation", Ibrahim said use of the Sedition Act would deter further attempts to question the provision and preserve racial harmony. Disputing the article would only lead to civil strife as it was part and parcel of an established social contract that could not be amended without consent from the Malay Rulers, he said. The Malay rights leader also cautioned Christians against repeating statements similar to Eu's in light of past controversies like the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) raid, as this would only give the impression that Christians wished to make enemies of Muslims. "We're only upholding what's in the Federal Constitution... Please don't keep provoking us on and on because it's not good for the country. And we have been patient for so long," he said. Ibrahim added that Perkasa might lodge a police report against Eu on Thursday to help protect Article 153.
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| No need for Race Relations Act if people behave, says Ibrahim Ali Posted: 26 Dec 2011 11:56 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Putrajaya need not table a Race Relations Act to govern interaction between the communities and curb racial extremism if "everyone behaves", Datuk Ibrahim Ali said today. "If everyone behaves, if nobody touches on (Article) 153, nobody questions this and that, condemns this and that, and at the same time recognises the disparity of wealth between Malays and non-Malays, I don't think we need any additional Act. "We've lived harmoniously for the last 54 years. We faced a problem once during May 13 but after that, nothing has happened. So the system has worked well," the Perkasa chief told reporters here. The Malay rights leader blamed the rise in racial tension on the opposition's big gains in Election 2008, saying politicians were now capitalising on racial issues for political mileage. He also denied that the general election, which saw Pakatan Rakyat (PR) sweep into power in four states, amounted to a referendum on Barisan Nasional's (BN) "well-received" policies. "I still believe the people rejected Barisan Nasional in 2008 because of the weakness of (Tun) Abdullahj Badawi as a prime minister. Nothing to do with policies," the Pasir Mas MP said.
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| Datuk's remand extended to Thursday Posted: 26 Dec 2011 11:50 PM PST (New Straits Times) - The police today obtained a three-day remand order against a Datuk who was re-arrested by Kuala Lumpur Commercial Crime police on Monday to facilitate their investigations into a RM 280,000 fraud case involving a project to operate a petrol station in Klang Valley which was reported in 2009. The complainant, a 43-year-old woman claimed that she had met the suspect over a petrol station project in 2007 and had been asked for RM280,000 consultation fee to help her to get the project. Two years went by and there was still no news on the project which prompted the complainant to lodge a police report. The Datuk who was wanted by police for two other cheating case in Cheras and Ipoh, had previously been remanded for two days by Malaysia Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) for allegedly trying to bribe Federal Commercial Crime senior police officers. | |
| Muhyiddin: Claims that aide received bribes will be investigated Posted: 26 Dec 2011 03:07 PM PST (The Star) - Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said claims that one of his aides has been receiving bribes will be investigated by his office. "I will look into this. Whatever that is said to be linked to me, I will look into. Until then, I will not comment further on it," he told reporters at the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) campus in Puncak Alam here Tuesday. Muhyiddin was commenting on a blogger's allegation that the aide has received more than RM100,000 in monthly kickbacks, adding that he was not aware of any wrongdoing. Meanwhile, earlier, Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, said the country has created about 16,000 graduates in the life-science industry and aimed to achieve 70% lecturers with doctrates, to cater for the nation's biotechnology development. He said the sector should be given emphasis, adding that it would surely bring the nation to greater heights. "This sector will definitely be among the country's main sources of income," he said at a function to launch UiTM's success in mapping the Malay ethnic genome. This was achieved by a group of UiTM researchers in collaboration with BioNexus Partners (BNP), placing Malaysia on par with other developed countries. BiotechCorp is the lead development agency for the biotech industry and has facilitated the development of about 207 BioNexus-status companies in Malaysia, with total approved investment of more than RM2.1bil.
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| Muhyiddin: No bullying under Article 153 Posted: 26 Dec 2011 02:33 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) SHAH ALAM, Dec 27 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin denied today that any community had been bullied as a result of Article 153 of the Constitution as claimed by a senior Christian leader last weekend. The deputy prime minister told reporters that the clause, which charges the Agong with protecting the position of Bumiputeras, was "enshrined in the Constitution (because) there is history, there is a rationale". "That is an incorrect interpretation," the Umno deputy president said when asked to comment on National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF) chairman Reverend Dr Eu Hong Seng's claim that Article 153 was akin to "bullying" if it only protected the rights of one group. "The government's policies under Barisan Nasional (BN) have served all. Efforts to help all levels of society... are all sealed in the (social) contract that has been implemented all this while. "I hope no debate is sparked for certain purposes. What is already enshrined in the constitution should not be questioned," the Pagoh MP said. Perkasa had responded to Eu on Sunday by saying the Article helped keep the country peaceful, further claiming that the race riots of May 13, 1969 happened because it was not implemented properly. "This country is peaceful because of Article 153 which protects the rights of Bumiputeras who are the majority in this country. "The reverend needs to remember that Christians are able to practise their religion without worry in this country because of Article 153," Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hasan Syed Ali said. Muhyiddin had also said yesterday no one was sidelined under BN due to the ruling coalition's power-sharing concept that is based on a common understanding among the various races and religions. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/muhyiddin-no-bullying-under-article-153/ | |
| Posted: 26 Dec 2011 12:12 PM PST (Aliran) Subramaniam Pillay looks at the worrying rising trend of federal government debt and wonders if Malaysia will go bankrupt. At our current rate of borrowing, it won't take long before we become another Greece.
 Figure 1: Outstanding debt of the Malaysian federal government - Source: Bank Negara Malaysia That the budget that was tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on 7 October 2011 was an election budget is very clear. There have been numerous detailed comments on the budget by politicians and analysts (since then). In this article, we are just going to focus on one of the long term issues from the budget. It concerns the increasing debt burden of the federal government. How big is the government debt? The accompanying chart shows the federal government's outstanding debt at the end of the successive years. As can be seen, the debt has been increasing since 1970. From the detailed data available form Bank Negara's website, in 1991, it reached a temporary peak of RM99bn and then decreased to RM90bn by 1997. From then, it has been virtually doubling every five years. By the end of 2011, we can expect the figure to reach RM450bn. In other words, since the Asian crisis of 1998, we have been growing by borrowing heavily. In the 10 years since 1999, our debt has quadrupled. If we continue on this path, by 2020, our national debt will reach RM1.6 trillion. If our population is 40 million then, each Malaysian will have a debt burden of more than RM40000 and this does not include our own personal borrowing. Assuming an interest rate of 5 per cent, paying the interest alone will cost the taxpayers RM80bn per year! The government has been reassuring us by saying that our debt is manageable. It argues that the debt at the end of 2012 will be only 54 per cent of our GDP, which is relatively low compared to the current crisis nations like Greece and Italy. (GDP is a measure of the total value of all the goods and services produced in a year in the country.) While it may not reach the levels of Greece by 2012, at our current rate of borrowing it won't take long before we become another Greece. Just to put this in perspective, our giant neighbour, Indonesia has a debt of only 23 per cent of GDP! Singapore has no debts. The federal government debt alone does not tell the full story. Many government-owned enterprises also have borrowings. If these figures are included, then the total debt would be much higher. It is difficult to get the complete data on these borrowings. Why has the debt been growing so rapidly? Since the 1998 Asian Financial Crisis, the government expenditure has consistently exceeded its revenue by a considerable margin. For example, in 2011 the spending is estimated to be RM229bn while the revenue will be only RM183bn. So the shortfall of RM46bn has to be met by borrowing. Of course it is not expected that the government balances its books every year. Prudent economic management requires the government to balance its budget over an entire business cycle. So we can have deficits during bad years and budget surpluses during good years. Since 1998, we have had at least two business cycles; yet every year without fail we have had budget deficits! This is evidence of fiscal irresponsibility. Here is a government which does not know the meaning of saving for a rainy day. A good example is the situation in the current year.
Table 1 shows that the actual revenue for 2011 is going to be higher than the budgeted figure by RM17.6bn. This is mainly due to the increased income from the rise in oil prices in 2011. The federal government relies heavily on different forms of revenues (corporate tax, petroleum profit tax, royalties, Petronas dividends etc.) that originate from the production and export of oil and gas in Malaysia. The proportion can be 30-40 per cent of the total government revenue. Thus a rise in the world price of oil translates directly into higher income for the government. So essentially, we had a windfall income. What would a prudent government do with this windfall? It would reduce the planned borrowing. But that's not our BN government's way of financial management. Uncannily, the increase in the actual spending is going to be the same amount of RM17.6bn! When asked about this at one of the post-budget forums, a Treasury official explained that it was mainly due to higher spending on salaries and increased subsidy for petrol and diesel. We can understand the increased subsidy but why the higher salary? Did we just increase the size of the bureaucracy? This is a clear case of a government which has no control on its spending. Why is the federal government spending more than it earns? There are a few reasons for this consistent imbalance. A major factor is the large leakage in government spending due to corruption and wasteful spending that has been highlighted by the Auditor General year after year in his annual reports. It has been estimated that we can easily save RM25-30bn without changing any of the deliverables if we can get rid of corruption and cronyism. Transparent practices like open tendering can cut down the cost of much of the procurement and project spending. In addition, spending can be reduced on military procurements. If a fraction of the money that is saved here can be used to improve the quality of our diplomats in Wisma Putra, we can avert any potential threat to national security. We can also cut down on the excessive use of foreign and local consultants by the government for work that ought to be done by the civil service. Reduction of subsidies to the operators of privatised projects such as the independent power producers and toll road operators will also narrow the deficit. Another reason for the deficit is the under collection of revenues including income tax and customs duties. Better compliance to and enforcement of existing laws and provisions can increase government revenue. It is common knowledge that many business operators evade paying their full share of income tax by under declaring their true income. Similarly, evasion of customs duties is rampant due to corruption in the Customs department. What will happen if the debt keeps increasing at the same rate in future? As the debt gets larger, interest payments will take an increasing share of total government spending. Table 2 shows this clearly.
If the government continues with the trend of the past 13 years, by 2020 we may be spending about 18-25 per cent of the operating budget on interest payments. In fact as the borrowing increases, the government will be forced to pay higher interest rates to borrow more because its credit rating will be downgraded. (For example, in Europe, currently the German government can borrow at around 2 per cent per annum while the Italian government has to pay about 7 per cent for its loans.) So the interest cost will rise exponentially. This will leave much less money for other social and economic spending. It will also widen income inequality as the government will have to cut spending on many public goods like education, health care and public transport. At the same time, the interest it pays goes mainly to foreigners and the better off segment of the population. What is even more worrying is that given our large revenue from petroleum-related sources, we should not really be running deficits. It is only a matter of time before we run out of oil and gas and thus become net importers of these two commodities. When that happens, our budget situation may become very critical. Read more at: http://aliran.com/7537.html | |
| Umno’s politics of self-delusion Posted: 26 Dec 2011 12:10 PM PST (FMT) Even the Malays are now fed up and revolted by Umno's lies, deceit and hypocrisy. We recognised what Umno has been telling us in the recent past – hypocrisy, and we are revolted by it. Umno espoused character and the moral high ground and invoked the name of Allah in their search for causes to justify their existence. They talked about focus and the need for discipline if they were to win the fight against their "enemies" – failing to understand that they themslves are not disciplined when people are not looking. And what does Umno do when people are not looking? Steal, plunder and pillage our country's wealth. The Umno general assembly might as well have been a lesson in hypocrisy and the politics of self-delusion. The delusional hubris that accompanied the past 12 general election victories seems to have afflicted Umno's ability to face reality. Just reflect on the last four years. The result of the 12th general election was supposed to give Umno a huge wake up call. The opposition gained 82 seats in parliament, wiping out BN's two-thirds majority. Umno won 35.5% of the popular votes. PAS and PKR won 34.8%. A whisker separated them. The urban Malays are no longer with Umno. Perak, Penang, Kedah and Selangor fell to the opposition. Without Sabah and Sarawak, BN would not have even obtained a simple majority to form the government. If anything is to be learned from the 12th general election, it is this: Umno cannot campaign the way it has been doing in the past. They cannot put fear into the minds of the electorates and use the mainstream media to demonise the opposition. The opposition parties won, not on race-based issues, but on a range of issues that cut across ethnic lines. And yet what do you have in the recent Umno general assembly? It is as if the lessons learnt in the 12th general election no longer have validity. All forgotten in the heat of the general assembly where Umno stalwarts became hypocrites – all of them! But when Umno talks to Umno it is sincere. Umno talks about their Malay agenda, about their Ketuanan Melayu and about all that it will take to ensure that they are the rulers of this Malay land and about what Umno will do for themselves once they are in government again. When Umno talks to the Malays, then the hypocrisy begins. Umno tells the Malays that Article 153 of the constitution would allow it to introduce affirmative action policies that would benefits only the Malays. The May 13 racial riots, bumiputera status, Ketuanan Melayu and Malay supremacy followed suit, all giving Umno license to improve the Malays economic lot. Umno promised much to the Malays but delivered little. Their hypocrisy to the Malays went undetected until much later. Malays are fed up of Umno's hypocrisy And then Umno had to talk to their BN partners. Here Umno shared what they must. Each had looting rights to designated ministries. MIC had JKR and MCA had the transport ministry. Other areas where they could plunder and pillage were carved out of their sharing of power in government. Duplicity and deceit crept in as BN leaders started to carve our their vested interest at the expense of the people. 1Malaysia was the rallying cry of BN while in the backroom, deals were negotiated that saw massive financial scandals such as PKFZ and the IPPs contracts. There were too many failed utilities and construction projects. There were failures to meet projected completion schedule and massive cost overruns, and in a lot of cases, a complete failure to proceed with the project proper after it started. All these were covered up in the "national interest" and by the cunning use of the ISA and the OSA. And as Umno's rule needed to be propped up by Sabah and Sarawak, the tentacles of corruption and greed also spread there with the enthusiastic participation of the state government already mired in corruption and self interest – up another notch because they called in their markers after their assist to Umno in the 2008 general election. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/12/27/umno%E2%80%99s-politics-of-self-delusion/
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| Shafie’s hand in KDM Malaysia? Posted: 26 Dec 2011 12:09 PM PST (FMT) The newly registered KadazanDusun Murut (KDM) Malaysia aims to weaken Musa Aman's strongest partner, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) and Pairin Kitingan. By Selvarajah SomiahIf you ask me, the most interesting part of this coming election is the shadow-boxing within the Barisan Nasional in Sabah. The shadow boxing by certain Umno politicians using Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a BN component in Sabah, and the Kadazandusun Murut Association Malaysia (KDM Malaysia) may be a precursor to a battle for the 'gaddi' in Kuala Lumpur. Some Umno leaders in Sabah namely Shafie Apdal is vying for the chief minister's chair– not for today but definitely for tomorrow. It is a bit silly to accuse Chief Minister Musa Aman for being 'opportunistic' about the alliance with the Gerakan party and for appointing Dr Yee Moh Chai of PBS as the new Deputy Chief Minister. (Both LDP president VK Liew and his deputy Senator Chin Su Phin have done just that). To set the record straight, Musa is a fair man and has always has been loyal to Umno and the BN. Musa has stayed loyal and calm despite being accused of all sorts of things by LDP and his own Umno fellows. Even those associated with Shafie Apdal are doing the same, hitting him under the belt. Shafie's hand And now even the newly registered KDM Malaysia is trying to undermine him. Despite the disappointment and accusation, never once has Musa lost his cool. Of course now after the story about Liew's shenanigans with his Rungus staff and the police report in Kota Marudu, things have cooled down. Liew (who was once disparaging of Musa) is (now) throwing heaps of praises on Musa. Whatever other adjective you may use of Musa he has proved (that he is) anything but 'opportunistic'. Given this 10-year history, why is Shafie now eyeing Musa Aman so warily? The simple answer is that Shafie believes that Umno shall be a real contender for power come the 13th general election. Musa, Sabah's best CM Shafie also believes that, in the absence of a towering figure such as Musa, the leadership of the Sabah BN may be up for grabs. Shafie also knows that he is — Musa apart — probably the most visible face of Umno Sabah. Shafie thinks he gives the impression that he has got (Umno president) Najib Tun Razak's blessings to replace Musa. I doubt this very much because Najib has openly acknowledged that Musa is doing a fantastic job in Sabah. In the ordinary course of events Musa would probably be the clear front-runner. He is by far the best chief minister Sabah has ever seen. He is articulate, workaholic and has propelled his state ahead of the rest when it comes to development. He has won every electoral challenge thrown at him — Parliament polls or state assembly polls – since taking over in 2003. KDM Malaysia, a tool to divide Now lets look at KDM Malaysia and how Shafie's hidden tentacles have come into play. John Ambrose is the founder and president of KDM Malaysia and its number one purpose is to get Kadazan Dusun Murut (KDMs) to support Umno. Its second most important intention is to break the KDMs away from (other BN coalition partner) PBS, Upko and the PBRS. In other words it is a tool to divide the KDMs. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/12/27/shafies-hand-in-kdm-malaysia/ | |
| Putrajaya contracts Gemas-JB double-track to Chinese firm Posted: 26 Dec 2011 07:30 AM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Putrajaya has agreed to award the Chinese Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) a multi-billion ringgit contract to build the 197-km Gemas-Johor Baru electrified double tracking project (EDTP), instead of front-runner China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC), sources say. The Malaysian Insider understands the project is worth between RM7 and RM8 billion, after it was put under a mid-term review in the Ninth Malaysia Plan. The Gemas-Johor Baru sector would be the final package for the EDTP, with the other sectors being the Ipoh-Padang Besar and Seremban-Gemas lines. "Putrajaya has decided on China Road and Bridge Corporation after some last-minute lobbying," a source told The Malaysian Insider. Another source said the award could be a wrinkle in Putrajaya-Beijing ties as only CRCC is authorised to tender for rail-related projects abroad. "The decision has been made and will be announced very soon," the source disclosed. Putrajaya and Beijing maintain very good political and business ties, with China taking palm oil and other commodities apart from a flow of goods being traded under the Asean-China Free Trade Agreement (FTA). However, the Penang Second Bridge project has not drawn down a US$800 million soft loan from Beijing while Putrajaya has also rejected a Chinese firm's US$1 billion (RM3.1 billion) redevelopment bid for the Pudu Jail land. But the Gemas-Johor Baru EDTP has always been seen as a project for Chinese companies, the sources said. The project includes building nearly 200km of parallel railway tracks, including stations, depots, halts, yards and bridges and cover systems such as electrification, signalling and communications. This includes a realignment between Pulau Sebang, Melaka and the Gemas section. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said in July that the Gemas-Johor Baru stretch was already in the final stage of design but declined to state if the tender would be open to foreign parties when it is completed by end of the year.
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