PKR man asks Sarawak govt for breakdown of ART project’s RM6 bil cost

SENATOR Abun Sui Anyit is asking the state government to provide a full breakdown of the RM6 billion that will supposedly be spent to purchase hydrogen-powered trams for the Kuching Autonomous Rapid Transit project.

“We in Sarawak PKR are very concerned with the huge amount of money that is being spent by the state government on one single project.

“If the project benefits the whole of Sarawak, maybe we can understand that.

“However, this ART hydrogen tram project is only for the Kuching-Serian area and maybe later to extend to Samarahan.

“That is only several dozen km all round.

“Spending so much money on one single project in a small area will not benefit the rest of the three million Sarawak population,” he told The Vibes.

On September 11, Sarawak DAP assemblyman for Pending, Violet Yong, claimed that the Autonomous Rapid Transit hydrogen tram project in state capital Kuching will cost up to a shocking RM6 billion.

She wants to know why Sarawak government leaders are paying a mind-boggling sum of money to a China manufacturer to build the vehicles.

She further claimed that the China manufacturer had stopped producing such hydrogen trams in that country due to the exorbitant costs of producing hydrogen fuel but Sarawak had insisted it wants the project.

“Sarawak is spending taxpayers money to carry out the ART project to a tune of RM 6 billion.

“The state is paying a China firm to manufacture the vehicles for Sarawak, but that firm had stopped production for their China market due to costs factors as hydrogen fuel is extremely expensive to produce, as is the case all over the world.

“Why is the Sarawak state government insisting on going on with this project when so much money is to be used up?

“The huge amount of money should be used to repair our roads, bridges, schools and clinics that are in bad shape in rural districts,” she had said in a press statement.

Yong, on November 28 last year, during the state assembly sitting, provided data that nearly RM2.5 billion had been spent already just to prepare the groundwork for the hydrogen tram route in Kuching City.

The outspoken lawmaker wants the state government to give a detailed breakdown of the very high costs of this ART project.

She said the rakyat wants to know the justification for spending such a huge sum of money.

“A sum of RM1.873 billion is being spent on the groundworks for the Kuching Urban Transportation System that will accommodate the ART vehicle.

“Another RM568.61 million contract has been awarded for the construction of the ART Blue Line route.

“The state government must provide a detailed breakdown of these huge sums of money being spent.

“And this is just the start of the project. The state government is ordering 38 of these ART vehicles!

“The state government must give a cost justification for this ART project in Kuching,” she said.

The ART tram is being subjected to test-runs in Kuching city.

The vehicles are manufactured in China.

The ART project is the first such public transport project in Sarawak where hydrogen is the fuel used to power the bus, instead of fossil fuel. – September 14, 2024.