I BELIEVE the appointment of an independent professional team to look into the Middle Ring Road 2 problem as called for by the Fomca chairman will not happen. Instead the authorities will deal with the problem internally.

An independent team is bound to reveal lots of skeletons in the closet, which could be a source of embarrassment although the project was initiated and implemented during the previous administration.

This is the third time we are facing problems over the MRR2. Does this not speak volumes of the way the project was designed, contracted out and supervised from the beginning to the end?

The entire project must have been conceived as a win-win situation for all and sundry by the previous administration. This became almost the order of the day for all projects implemented during that time. Everyone along the line is a beneficiary. It should make everyone in the end happy, provided nothing untoward happens.

In the case of the MRR2, something unexpected happened due to a slip somewhere. To point a finger at anyone at this stage is like opening Pandora’s box. And there is a chance that an independent investigative team, if appointed, would do just that and reveal the person who is ultimately responsible for this debacle.

The public has become disenchanted by the way the authorities reacted to this problem because every time the problem of safety on this highway occurred previously, the minister concerned always gave the same answer and assurance.

They have now come to the point where they don’t believe that any more. And what is even more unpalatable is that no one until today has been punished for this episode. Instead everyone has got off scot-free.

NORAMTAZ ABDULLAH, Petaling Jaya

Source: NST – August 8, 2008