MRR2 fiasco – accountability needed

This is yet another example of how things are done in Malaysia.

The cost of the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) was RM120 million. However just months after opening it to traffic, it was found to be defective.

The highway was closed, causing terrible traffic problems for road users, for almost more than two years for repair works.

Now it is re-opened but the cost of repairing it stands at RM70 million.

Strange indeed! The government builds the highway for RM120 million and then repairs it for RM70 million, which means the total cost is actually a whopping RM190 million.

Public Accounts Committee chairman Shahrir Abdul Samad thinks the cost could be higher still.

"It has not been confirmed but I expect it's bigger than the earlier estimate," he said.

Will the works minister comment on this? We still don’t know who is responsible for the defective work, or about any action taken against them, but why should the public bear the cost?