Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua has taken the government to task for the massive skyrocketing of construction costs for Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA 2) from RM1.7 billion in 2007 to the latest admitted figure of over RM4 billion.

The Edge Financial Daily reports that Deputy Transport Minister Dato’ Abdul Rahim Bakri has admitted that the cost for KLIA 2 would exceed RM4 billion.

This is despite the previous assurance given by the head of  the Special Cabinet Taskforce on KLIA2, Abdul Aziz Kaprawi, as well as the acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein who had claimed the cost would not exceed RM4 billion.

“Heads must roll, or the entire Najib administration will be responsible for perhaps a revised RM 5 billion “low cost” KLIA2 scandal and to send a message to all Government-linked companies (GLC), that he will not tolerate incompetence and gross mismanagement,” Pua said.

The DAP MP said the government should fire MAHB managing director Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid in view of the constant cost ballooning of KLIA 2.

The airport had initially been slated to cost RM1.7 billion, as announced by then-Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat. The budget was subsequently increased to RM2 billion in March 2009, RM2.5 billion in October 2010, and RM3.9 billion in November 2011.