Susan Loone Published Updated
Held in the Caring Society Complex tonight, the 90-minute debate was moderated by lawyer Lee Khai.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and wife Betty Chew arrived at the venue to loud applause from the crowd at 8.45pm, but he was booed by Gerakan supporters when he entered the hall.
The hall was filled to the brim, with party supporters kept separate, with Gerakan on the right of the stage, and DAP on the left.
Debaters Penang executive councillor Lim Hock Seng and Gerakan's secretary-general Liang Teck Meng took their places on the stage at 9pm.
Liang was the first to take the floor and asked questions on the cost of the tunnel, on the land swap deal with contractor Consortium Zenith-BUCG and the seemingly high cost of RM305 million for the project's feasibility study and detailed design, and the state's "flip flop" in proposing to build a toll-free third bridge to replace the tunnel.
"If we did not raise questions about the tunnel, would the chief minister want a third bridge? Or is this all a sandiwara to divert attention from the tunnel issue?" Liang asked.Hock Seng took the chance to blast the previous Gerakan-led government for selling prime land at RM1 per sq ft, and for allegedly awarding mega projects to family members without open tender.
Hock Seng explained in detail about how the project was awarded to CZBUCG in 2013.
"A technical team comprising the state's financial officer, engineers from JKR and other agencies, was formed to review the request for proposals from five out of 60 shortlisted companies," Hock Seng said.
"This committee made recommendations to the tender committee headed by the state secretary, who later decided that CZBUCG gave the lowest costs."The firm asked for 157 acres of land as compensation which was reduced to 110 acres and a 30-year toll concession," Hock Seng explained.
Debaters dissatisfied
At the end of the event, both debaters were dissatisfied as they felt their questions were not answered.
To observers, it appeared both had diverted from the topic of the debate which was titled 'Undersea Tunnel and Three Highways' when the duo started attacking each other’s administration.
Civility reigned the first 10 minutes starting with Liang's opening speech but the crowd, especially on Gerakan's side of the hall, turned noisy when it was Hock Seng's turn to speak.
This agitated Hock Seng, whose speech was later peppered with name-calling like bodoh (stupid), hooligan, samseng (gangster) and celaka (damn).
The security team had to be called in to restrain and pull away a member of the audience from Gerakan's side who turned rowdy.
Gerakan leaders later said the youth was an "agent provocateur".
Tension was high during the debate although no untoward incident happened with Lee Khai coaxing the crowd to calm down, as the audience could not hear the arguments put forward by the debaters.
Hock Seng was especially peeved when Liang touched on the controversial issue of Guan Eng's RM2.8 million bungalow on Jalan Pinhorn which he was accused of buying below market value.
In the much anticipated event, organised by the Penang government, the crowd started building up at the venue at about 7pm, 90 minutes before the debate started.
It all started on June 11 when Liang offered to debate with Hock Seng after the latter rejected the offer to debate on the same issue from Penang Gerakan Youth acting chief Jason Loo.
The RM6.3-billion tolled tunnel and three highways, awarded to CZBUCG via an open tender, had hogged headlines for several months. Its viability continues to be questioned by NGOs and the state's opposition.
The no-toll three-paired highways are slated for completion in 2022, while the tunnel should be ready by 2027.
Hock Seng had earlier explained that the cost of the feasibility study for the three highway projects was only RM51.2 million, while the study for the undersea bed tunnel only cost RM20 million, and not RM305 million.
The RM305 million will also pay for the detailed designs of the projects, while CZBUCG will bear the cost of an additional RM4.9 million for the environmental impact assessment and the detailed environmental impact assessment.
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