PUTRAJAYA – Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he was not aware if the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) contract awarded to the China Communication Construction Company Ltd (CCCC) has been terminated.
Speaking to reporters after officiating the launch of the National B40 Protection Scheme (mySalam) here today, the prime minister said he had just returned to Malaysia from his series of overseas trips and was not aware of the contract cancellation.
Singapore’s The Straits Times recently reported that Malaysia was in the process of seeking for a new contractor to lead the ECRL contract after terminating the contract awarded to CCCC.
Quoting sources, the Straits Times report said Putrajaya was seeking to reduce the mega-rail project’s cost by half, from the original RM81 billion to about RM40 billion.
“I don’t know whether the contract has been terminated or not, but one way to address the problem is to end the contract. However, we will have to pay billions in compensation.
“We (the government) will discuss this issue,” Dr Mahathir added.
-BERNAMA
