Of Labu, pumpkin, KLIA east and...

Sime Darby Bhd put forward to the Government two privatisation proposals i.e. to take over the National Heart Institute (IJN) and to proceed with constructing Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) in Labu.

And striking 1 out of 2 is a profitable 50 % to Sime Darby who was given the go ahead to proceed with the LCCT, Labu which Tony Fernadez affectionately call KLIA east.

Whilst all and sundry knows that Sime Darby Chairperson is Musa Hitam who coin the word "elegant silence" fame, the Government decision to allow Sime Darby to work together with Air Asia in developing KLIA east - Labu is definitely worth tracking.

Blogger Rocky Bru believes that this is part of "midnight regulations" carried out by Pak Lah to bulldoze projects to certain interested parties including Musa Hitam and Fernadez.

Now that Labu is in the limelight, Blogger Jebat must die correctly pointed out that there will be 4 international airports within the 50 km radius. In the end, we will be having international airports of KLIA, LCCT terminal, KLIA east - Labu and Batu Berendam, Melaka. Come to think about it, why was Ali Rustam quiet during the KLIA east commotion? Is it because of the impending UMNO elections that Ali Rustam feels taht by keeping quiet he may be in Pak Lah's and KJ's good books?

And in all possibility, SCOMI will be appointed as the Design and Build Contractor for KLIA east, thus satisfying Pak Lah, KJ, Musa Hitam and Toni Fernadez.

However, private funding for the construction of the 1.6B KLIA east is one thing, but to operate the new terminal is another thing. Who will fund the operating cost, the salary of the Customs and Immigration officers, their quarters, the air traffic controllers, the logistics support etc etc??

Or will it be the same as the many previous projects, construct and build and then pass all the operating cost to the Government which in turn plough into the rakyat's tax money??

Someone out there should be answering to all the probing questions and most of all, who will be responsible for the aircrafts safety with so many airports to choose with so few aircraft landing??

Further, is Sime Darby out to capture the land banks and capitalise of the possible property value?

Then, maybe and maybe, Pak Lah is making the decision in his sleep...for he might be confuse that Labu is a town and not the pumpkin, collected every October. And then again, Haloween strikes early in Malaysia for 2009...

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...