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Rafizi watch out |
KUALA LUMPUR: Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali has clarified that he did not meet officials from Singapore’s transport ministry (MOT) over the weekend.
“They (Singapore media) are right.
“When I spoke to you yesterday, did I say I was meeting with MOT officials?” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday.
He said he did have a meeting in Singapore over the weekend and when asked whom it was with, he said: “A Singaporean.”
Singapore news outlet Today Online quoted a spokesman from its transport ministry as saying that no meeting took place, or was scheduled, between Azmin and the officials overseeing the HSR project.
On Monday, Azmin was reported to have said that he had an informal meeting with some senior officials in Singapore over the project last weekend, while visiting Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who was undergoing treatment there.
“They (Singapore media) are right.
“When I spoke to you yesterday, did I say I was meeting with MOT officials?” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby yesterday.
He said he did have a meeting in Singapore over the weekend and when asked whom it was with, he said: “A Singaporean.”
Singapore news outlet Today Online quoted a spokesman from its transport ministry as saying that no meeting took place, or was scheduled, between Azmin and the officials overseeing the HSR project.
On Monday, Azmin was reported to have said that he had an informal meeting with some senior officials in Singapore over the project last weekend, while visiting Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who was undergoing treatment there.
It seems Azmin didn't do anything to correct the incorrect impression his loose words provided UNTIL the official Singapore riposte came.
Yesterday the MM Online reported:
The economic affairs minister told reporters this was agreed during a meeting with his Singaporean counterpart last week.
“After a series of discussions, Singapore has agreed to accept the Malaysian government’s view to postpone the project to a future date, because by then, we are certain the country’s economy would have healed.
"No compensation needs to be paid during this period, and any such payment is only required if at the end of the deferral period, we cancel the project,” he said.
Now the Strait Times (of Singapore, not Malaysia's NST) reported:
A Singapore Ministry of Transport spokesman, responding to the remarks, said: "Malaysia and Singapore are currently in discussions on Malaysia's request to defer the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail Project. We hope to reach a mutually acceptable outcome soon".
Datuk Seri Azmin had told reporters earlier that the consensus with his Singapore counterpart was reached last week after a series of meetings, and that an official agreement would be signed in the near future in Kuala Lumpur.
He said that during this period, both governments would hold more talks on ways to reduce the cost of the multi-billion-ringgit project.
"After several discussions, the Singapore government has agreed to accept the views of the Malaysian government to defer the project for a period where we are confident that the Malaysian economy would improve by then,” Mr Azmin told reporters on the sidelines of the Selangor state assembly’s opening session.
“There’ll be no compensation to be paid during this deferment period and it has to be paid only if we cancel this project at the end of the deferment period,” he added.
What is Azmin up to, when the Singaporeans has just come out to say:
"Malaysia and Singapore are currently in discussions on Malaysia's request to defer the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail Project. We hope to reach a mutually acceptable outcome soon".
With any negotiations which have are adversarial or competitive in nature, the public pronouncements by one or more parties are not something to be taken at face value.
ReplyDeleteAzmin may not be speaking the whole truth, but neither may Singapore.
Why jump to the conclusion Azmin is lying and Singapore is speaking the whole truth ?
Whatever Kaytee can twists and spins about whatever statements is made, the undeniable fact remains that the HSR project will be postponed for a number of years required (to prevent penalty charges of about RM500 millions) and prevent another big drain on the coffers of the Treasury and enrich the BN cronies and companies who had dreamed of "Satu lagi projek untuk Kita" following their previous Chief of Kleptocrats.
ReplyDeleteThe PH and Singapore Govt. can wait any number of years but can those BN cronies who have borrowed loans heavily to buy up land or set up as suppliers, consultants , proxies companies etc wait and last before being bankrupted by the debts already incurred?
Methinks, the HSR project may be considered to proceed only after all the BN cronies cuts all the excess fats, commissions and their prices to a realistic justifiable level just like any other private commercial project instead of a get rich quick Govt. project under the previous BN regime.
Or would the PH Govt. wait until a Firesale is completed or a complete redesign and realignment of the existing routes are undertaken before considering to proceed with the HSR project?
Perhaps, a simpler solution for those bearing the pains of a crony HSR project would be to go up crawling on all knees to Ceasar and hail him "Long Live the Emperor"?
Who knows, it might work on an egoistic, revengeful old man out for retributions on the wrongs and spite done to him when he was not on the throne.
"There are none so blind as those who will not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know." - John Heywood (1546)
DeleteHuh? Cheebye motherfucker kaytee should direct john heywood quote to himself
DeleteR u talking about yrself ke!!
Deleteaiyah, I am tired of telling you I did NOT fCk your mum lah
DeleteI understand cheebye motherfucker kaytee's father is donald trump. Hence the hysterical antics displayed by kaytee.
DeleteWe should buy mirror to let kaytee see his ugly self
aiyah, I am tired of telling you I did NOT fCk your mum
Delete