KINIBIZ Malaysia Steel Works (KL) Bhd, better known as Masteel, in a statement yesterday defended the government’s processes with regard to the negotiations for the Iskandar commuter rail project, which had come under fire from the opposition recently.

"Metropolitan Commuter Network Sdn Bhd (MCN) has never maintained that it has the full approval from all the relevant authorities.

"While the idea has been promoted by Masteel for over four years, other bidders are not prevented from submitting their bids to the Government," said Masteel’s managing director and CEO Tai Hean Leng.

He explained that the Iskandar commuter rail project was slated to be a private sector initiative, as opposed to a government-driven project.

"As such (Masteel) was not awarded the contract by the government," Tai added.

When contacted by telephone yesterday, Tai revealed that the MCN rail project has been granted Transport Ministry approval but is still pending feedback from the Spad (Land Public Transport Commission).

Masteel subsidiary MCN, Tai said, is in the process of obtaining the necessary approval from various government ministries.

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