Monday, June 9, 2008

Cancellation of bridge to Singapore

blogtunm.blogspot.com 
(VERSI BAHASA MALAYSIA DI AKHIR ARTIKEL INI)

I have been asked to please expose all that I know about the misuse of the Rakyat's money.

In response to the above request I would like to identify initially four of the instances where the Government of Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has misused public money.

What I write here would not be based on speculation or suppositions or possibilities. They are the things which are public knowledge and can be verified.

I need to explain in detail. So I will deal with one subject at a time. 

However, I list below the four specific instances; 

1. The cancellation of the bridge to replace the Malaysian part of the Johore Causeway

2. The postponement of the double-tracking and electrification of the railway line from Johor Bahru to Padang Besar

3. The sale of M.V. Agusta for one Euro

4. Wang Ehsan which has been expended on Terengganu which the new Menteri Besar claims is not Wang Ehsan but Federal Fund.

Cancellation of the Bridge to Singapore

The Singapore Government had not objected to the building of the Malaysian bridge to replace the Malaysian half of the causeway.

This bridge would be 25 metres above the water to allow for small ships to pass through after removal of the Malaysian half of the causeway. The Second Link is also 25 meters above the water surface. So the vessels can pass through the Tebrau Straits without obstruction by the causeway.

This bridge is very essential as the traffic in Johor Bahru has increased and there is a permanent traffic jam caused by the North-South flow to and from the causeway and the East-West flow between the Eastern and Western parts of Johor Bahru. An elevated road is needed to be built above the East-West traffic for access to and from the causeway. Such a road would result in a part of the Johor end of the causeway becoming useless as the elevated road must land some distance from where the causeway joins the mainland.

A full-length bridge to Singapore would enable a gradual rise for lorries to climb and boats to pass underneath after the causeway is removed. Since Singapore refused to jointly construct a straight bridge to replace the causeway, a bridge with 25 meters clearance for boats to pass has got to be long enough for lorries to make a gradual climb.

The answer was to lengthen the bridge by a curved design. As for the railway line a swing bridge can be opened or closed for ships or trains to pass through.

To cut a long story short work on the curved bridge was stopped so that Dato Seri Abdullah's Government could offer to sell 1 billion cubic metres of sand, and overflight rights for Singapore military aircraft over Johor Bahru if Singapore agreed to a straight bridge.

Someone stood to make a lot of money selling 50 million cubic metres of sand per year for 20 years to Singapore for land reclamation. This was a very attractive offer as the reclaimed land can sell for 3,000-5,000 Singapore dollars (about RM6,000-RM10,000) per square metre. The Singapore Government stood to make an enormous amount of money selling this land.

They therefore agreed to the straight bridge. That dredging sand from the seabed would cause erosion of the coast, destruction of fish breeding grounds and deprive Johore fishermen of their livelihood were not of concern to the Government of Dato Seri Abdullah.

Fortunately the Johor people misbehaved.

They objected to selling sand and overflights.

Abdullah frustrated that his scheme was blocked then punished the Johore people by cancelling the bridge project altogether. No straight bridge, no curve bridge either.

The result is that more than RM1 billion have been wasted building the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facilities, foundation and work on a new railway station, pilings and preliminary works on the road linking the CIQ to the bridge and compensations to the contractors because of the cancellation of the projects.

The CIQ building is now a white elephant, unused and yet have to be maintained costing hundreds of thousands of Ringgit a month.

Clearly Dato Seri Abdullah has wasted public money. All because he was angry with the Johor people for not enabling one billion cubic metres of sand to be sold to Singapore and the profits thereof.

*****

Pembatalan Jambatan Bengkok

Saya diminta membongkar apa yang saya tahu berkenaan salah guna wang rakyat.

Untuk permulaan saya senaraikan empat tindakan dimana Kerajaan Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi telah salahgunakan wang rakyat. Apa yang saya tulis di sini tidak berasas kepada spekulasi, kemungkinan atau kebarangkalian.

Perkara ini diketahui umum dan boleh disahkan Saya perlu beri penjelasan terperinci. Jadi saya akan bincangkan satu persatu.

Bagaimanapun saya senaraikan empat perkara spesifik;

1. Pembatalan pembinaan jambatan menggantikan tambak Johor di sebelah Malaysia

2. Penangguhan landasan berkembar dan rel elektrik daripada Johor Bahru ke Padang Besar

3. Penjualan M.V. Agusta untuk satu Euro

4. Wang Ehsan yang dibelanjakan untuk Terengganu yang mana Menteri Besar yang baru mendakwa adalah bukan Wang Ehsan tetapi daripada dana Kerajaan Persekutuan.

Pembatalan pembinaan jambatan ke Singapura

Kerajaan Singapura tidak membantah pembinaan jambatan untuk menggantikan tambak di sebelah Malaysia.

Jambatan ini akan dibina 25 meter daripada paras permukaan air untuk benar kapal-kapal kecil lalu setelah separuh tambak di sebelah Malaysia di pecah.

Link Kedua juga berada di paras 25 meters daripada paras permukaan air. Jadi kapal-kapal boleh melalui Selat Tebrau tanpa terhalang oleh tambak. Jambatan ini penting kerana jumlah trafik di Johor Bahru telah meningkat dan kesesakan lalulintas merupakan perkara harian disebabkan laluan Utara-Selatan yang datang dan pergi melalui tambak dan trafik Timur-Barat di antara bahagian-bahagian Timur dan Barat Johor Bahru.

Jalan bertingkat perlu dibina menyeberangi trafik Timur-Barat untuk laluan dari dan ke tambak. Jalan ini akan menyebabkan penghujung tambak di sebelah Johor tidak boleh digunakan kerana jalan bertingkat hanya boleh mendarat pada satu jarak tertentu jauh daripada tempat tambak bertemu dengan tanah besar.

Jika jambatan penuh ke Singapura dibangunkan cerun boleh dilandaikan untuk memudahkan lori mendaki dan bot-bot kecil melalui di bawahnya setelah tambak dipecahkan.

Kerana Singapura tidak mahu sama-sama membina jambatan penuh untuk gantikan tambak, jambatan setinggi 25 meter untuk benarkan bot-bot lalu dibawahnya mesti mempunyai kepanjangan yang mencukupi untuk benarkan lori mendaki secara beransur.

Penyelesaiannya ialah untuk memanjangkan jambatan dengan rekabentuk melengkung (kemudiannya dipanggil jambatan bengkok). Bagi landasan keretapi pula, jambatan ayun yang boleh dibuka dan tutup untuk benarkan kapal atau keretapi lalu.

Untuk memendekkan cerita, kerja pembinaan jambatan bengkok dihentikan untuk membolehkan Kerajaan Dato Seri Abdullah menjual 1 billion meter padu pasir dan hak laluan terbang pesawat tentera Singapura melintasi Johor Bahru jika Singapura bersetuju membina jambatan lurus.

Ada orang yang akan mengaut untung banyak menjual 50 juta meter padu pasir setahun selama 20 tahun untuk Singapura menambak tanah. Ini satu tawaran menarik kerana tanah yang ditambak boleh dijual antara 3,000-5,000 Dolar Singapura (kira-kira RM6,000-RM10,000) sekaki persegi.

Kerajaan Singapura boleh buat banyak duit menjual tanah ini. Lalu merekapun menyetujui cadangan jambatan lurus ini.

Bahawa mengorek pasir dari dasar laut boleh sebabkan hakisan pantai, kemusnahan tempat pembiakan ikan dan kehilangan mata pencarian bagi nelayan negeri Johor tidak pun diambil prihatin oleh Kerajaan Dato Seri Abdullah.

Mujurlah rakyat Johor membantah penjualan pasir dan hak laluan pesawat terbang. Abdullah yang kecewa kerana perancangannya terhalang menghukum rakyat Johor dengan membatal sama sekali projek jambatan. Tidak ada jambatan lurus mahupun bengkok.

Hasilnya lebih daripada RM1 billion telah dibazirkan yang dibelanjakan untuk membina kemudahan kompleks Kastam, Imigresen dan Kuarantin, kerja-kerja membina stesen keretapi baru dan kerja-kerja awal untuk bina jalan menghubung kompleks KIK dan jambatan serta bayaran pampasan kepada kontraktor disebabkan pembatalan projek-projek berkenaan.

Kompleks KIK kini menjadi gajah putih, terbiar tetapi terpaksa di selenggarakan dengan memakan belanja beratus ribu Ringgit sebulan. Jelas sekali Dato Seri Abdullah telah bazirkan duit rakyat hanya kerana beliau marah dengan rakyat Johor yang halang penjualan satu bilion meter padu pasir kepada Singapura dan keuntungan yang bakal diraih oleh pihak tertentu.
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