MMC-Gamuda’s #SaveMRT2 tours social media, not everyone is on board

PETALING JAYA (Oct 10): The hashtag #SaveMRT2 is making the rounds on social media, launched by MMC-Gamuda Bhd as a response to the news that the contract for the underground portion of the Mass Rapid Transit Line 2 (MRT2) project will be retendered.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has announced that the above-ground sections of the line would proceed, but the contract for the underground tunnel of the project would be terminated. The decision was rooted in cost-cutting measures, and that portion of the project would be retendered, internationally. 

MMC-Gamuda began a social media campaign, stirring up sympathy for the workers it said would be affected by the retender — using the hashtags #SaveMRT2, #prayforMRT2, #Save20000Jobs and #save20kjobs in its tweets.

MMC-Gamuda said that the termination of the contract will cause 20,000 employees to lose their jobs.

But not everyone is buying it. According to lawyer Syahredzan Johan: “I sympathise with the employees who will be affected by the MMC-Gamuda contract termination, although I have doubts about the 20,000 number which Gamuda has brought up. 

He also said that using the hashtag #SaveMRT2 implied the entire project was cancelled, when in reality, the project would continue, and he questioned the need for Gamuda to terminate 20,000 employees due to the cancelled contract on one portion of the project. 

“If they (Gamuda bosses) are sincere about the fate of the workers, they can sacrifice their profits to save them.”

He also found their motives suspect, saying: “I don’t know for certain if the decision to terminate the contract is the right move or not. But I can’t stand to see a company, for the sake of billions in profits, campaign using their workers as an excuse. 

Twitter user Sylvester @Sylvest80855805 said: “MMC Gamuda not acting like a professional firm here but rather like a political party trying to gain sympathy votes with notions of workers laid off etc. Pathetic display.”

The Malaysian Insight quoted another Twitter user, who was responding to a Gamuda tweet using the #SaveMRT2 hashtag, Andrew Leong @LYTeffect.

“MRT2 given go ahead. Just without Gamuda. Don’t mislead people here, ok.”

The popularity of the campaign by MMC-Gamuda has resulted in Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad saying last night that the government will review the decision to retender the contract. 

Damansara MP Tony Pua, in an open letter to MMC-Gamuda said that the company’s refusal to further cut the cost of developing the underground portion of the MRT2 project by more than RM2.13 billion, to RM14.58 billion, even after an independent engineering consultant said the total cost could be slashed by at least another RM2 billion, was what led to the government’s termination of the contract.

In the letter, he slammed MMC-Gamuda’s “obvious brazen attempt to paint yourself as an innocent victim.”

Twitter user nescafeais posted: "I got goosebumps reading this [Tony Pua's open letter to MMC-Gamuda]. Do we really have a government who got the guts to stick it up to these mega companies who think they’re untouchable?"