GEORGE TOWN: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said he has nothing to hide on the proposed monorail test track in Batu Kawan.

Pressed to comment on the subject, Lim promised to speak on the issue before the Penang State Legislative Assembly convenes on Nov 30.

"I am not evading the issue and I will talk about it soon," Lim said at a press conference today.

Sources said the Penang government had yet to finalise a proposed monorail test track in Batu Kawan and that a no obligation letter had been issued to businessman Datuk Jeyakumar Varathan in relation to the project.

The Edge reported recently that the Penang government had given the green light to low-profile businessman Jeyakumar to build and commission a RM70 million monorail test track on a 30-acre site in Batu Kawan.

The project would have Middle Eastern and Chinese investors and a Japanese technology partner.

The federal government had shelved the Penang monorail project promised by former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during the mid-term review of the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

The letter of intent for the RM1.6 billion project had been given to a consortium led by Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd. Members of the consortium include Scomi Engineering Bhd and the Penang Port Commission. Other contenders for the project were the Melewar Industrial Group Bhd and its partner Putera Capital Bhd, as well as MMC-Metrail Sdn Bhd.

Meanwhile, Lim called on the federal government to step up efforts to combat corruption following Malaysia's fall in ranking to the 56th spot out of 180 countries with a score of 4.5 points out of 10, with 10 being the least corrupt. Last year, it was placed 47th with a score of 5.1.

Lim attributed the decline to various incidences, including the Teoh Beng Hock tragedy, RM12 billion PKFZ scandal and selective action by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.