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KUALA LUMPUR – Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail is being taken to task over supposed “confusing” statements on the Kuantan International Airport project he issued in a span of a month.
State opposition leader Lee Chin Chen of DAP has called for Wan Rosdy to come clean about the RM2 billion project, saying that the menteri besar was misleading the public when the airport was supposed to be ready in 2026 but the developer has yet to submit relevant paperwork.
“I’m astonished at the menteri besar’s conflicting statements issued in July and August. Where’s his integrity as MB? The airport not only benefits Pahang but states in the east coast, opening up investment and job opportunities.
“By issuing inaccurate statements and assurances, this will lead to public confusion, especially among the Pahang people,” Lee said in a statement today.
On July 6, Wan Rosdy said the Kuantan International Airport in Gebeng would be operational in 2026 and construction to start next year but yesterday he posted on Facebook that the project developer is in the midst of preparing documents and studies to adhere to terms set by the Transport Ministry.
On Wednesday, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong told the Dewan Rakyat that states must first obtain the minister’s approval before being allowed to construct an aerodrome, following which the project developer had to apply for an aerodrome operating licence.
In the context of Kuantan International Airport, Wee said while the National Physical Planning Council (NPPC) had agreed in principle last year for its construction, the state had yet to fulfil all due processes.
“They are in the process of preparing the necessary reports. However, no final approval has been given.”
He added that NPPC’s decision last year to provide initial approval for the new international airport in Pahang was based on the consideration that the state does not have its own airport yet.
Wee was responding to a supplementary question from Seremban MP Anthony Loke Siew Fook on why Pahang superseded the federal government in announcing details of the development of a new airport there.
Last October, Wan Rosdy had said the federal government had no objection to plans for the proposed international airport in Gebeng, which would be part of the RM10 billion Pahang aerospace city project. – The Vibes, August 5, 2022
