> Pakatan wants clarification on LCCT-Labu

The PKR MP for Gombak Azmin Ali questioned Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s credibility today for going back on a decision made by the Cabinet regarding the proposed Labu Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in December.

On January 5, Sime Darby had told Bursa Malaysia in a filing that the plan had been approved by the government.

In the statement to Bursa Malaysia, Sime Darby said:

“We refer to Sime Darby Berhad’s (“Company”) announcement on 23 December 2008 on the above matter. The Company wishes to announce that it had, today, obtained approval from the Government of Malaysia to proceed with the Proposed LCCT Project.

"The Proposed LCCT Project is an integral part of the Company’s development plan for its Negeri Sembilan Vision City (“NSVC”). NSVC is part of the Company’s Central Vision Valley (“CVV”) property development project spanning Selangor and Negeri Sembilan."

However a fortnight later, the deputy prime minister stated that no decision had been made yet.

“Last year, in November and December, the Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat made an announcement that Air Asia would build a new LCCT in Labu and that this was a decision made by the cabinet. But it seems that Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat’s announcement is invalid even though he is the Transport Minister.

So we would like to ask why the announcement he made was invalid and why the announcement he made has been denied by the deputy prime minister?” Lim Guan Eng from the DAP also asked.

Azmin argued that If Najib was not lying then actions must be taken by the Securities Commission against Sime Darby for making false statements to its shareholders.

“I ask the finance minister to come into Parliament and give a response towards this issue so that the people can get a proper explanation. For us it is clear, the government has already the master plan for KLIA which have allocated a designated area for the building of LCCT.

“Why was it not build in the early stages in which the government has already spent 268 million ringgit for building the temporary LCCT in KLIA?” he said.

Lim told reporters the current limbo of the LCCT Air Asia is confusing the people. This is because they are not sure if announcements made by ministers in the future could be trusted - The Malaysian Insider.