MAPS LAKE COASTER & SELFIE BROADWALK

COSTLY YET REDUNDANT ATTRACTIONS IN MAPS

IPOH: Movie Animation Park Studio (MAPS) 's two attraction - Lake Coaster and Selfie Boardwalk claimed to be another white elephant incurring losses to the current government.

The media conference on the Lake Coaster and Selfie Broadwalk was chaired by the Audit Committee Perak Corporation Bhd chairman Chong Zhemin who is also Keranji state assemblyman was held at the MAPS, Bandar Meru. Also present was Audit Committee Perak Corporation Bhd's member Hatim Musa.

CHONG ZHEMIN (RIGHT) AND HATIM MUSA SHOWING THE ABANDONED LAKE COASTER (BACKDROP)

According to the Special Internal Audit Report S 4.5.4 that stated although the certification of works for the Lake Coaster Ride was only RM20.3 million, the Animation Theme Park (ATP) has made a total payment of RM22 million to Sanderson Group (SDGM) who is the designer and builder of the park, which is RM1.78 million in 'excess'.

The Special Internal Audit Report has confirmed that the payment was made by ATP to SDGM for the Lake Coaster was more than the certified amount. The report noted that the surplus which amounted to RM1.78 million was to be deducted from the next progress claim however there was no subsequent claim made to SDGM on the Lake Coaster as the work on Lake Coaster stalled after progress claim No. 1.

The current offer ATP has for the Lake Coaster stands at USD2.8 million or RM11.48 million from potential buyer. If this deal goes through, ATP would realise a lost of RM10.52 million on the Lake Coaster.

Chong has requested the former Menteri Besar of Perak Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir to explain the decision to purchase and pay RM22 million to SDGM for the Lake Coaster, and what is the rationale of overpaying for the ride that ATP has no plans to install.

Currently, the Lake Coaster was found redundant and not install as yet. The installation fees would costs about RM3 million for assembling the parts of the Lake Coaster.

As the installation fees are costly, the audit committee have no plans to do so, while calling upon potential buyer to take up the deal.

CHONG ZHEMIN (LEFT) AND HATIM MUZA POINTING TO THE HOLE FOUND ON THE WOODEN PASSAGE AT THE SELFIE BROADWALK

 Meanwhile, the Special Internal Audit Report on MAPS in S 4.5.5 stated that the legitimacy of the cost incurred to construct and developed a Selfie Broadwalk in the supplementary Contract No. 1, is questionable as the ride need to be shut down after less than one year, after the soft opening of MAPS.

The Selfie Broadwalk had its soft opening on July, 2017 and was closed down due to safety reason on June 11, 2018.

The Audit Report also raised the question on whether the RM285,000 paid to construct the Selfie Board is worth the quality, as it is now found that the wooden walk is in shaky condition and holes are forming along the 100-m long Broadwalk.

The Audit Committee Perak Corporation Bhd, is now urging Datuk Seri Zambry Abd Kadir to explain the decision to construct the Selfie Boardwalk and why was RM285,000 paid to the construction of an attraction that is fragile and could only last less than one year.