The government must come clean on how a short highway connecting to Singapore has become so expensive that motorists are suddenly forced to pay a five-fold increase in toll rates, DAP state assemblyperson for Senai Wong Shu Qi said today.
She added that she could not accept minister in prime minister's department Abdul Wahid Omar's assurance that such a move was not arbitrary and backed by a two-year study.
Abdul Wahid (left) had yesterday confirmed that toll hikes was to cover the construction costs for the 8.1 km Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) which connected the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex to the North-South highway.
This dispelled talk that the government had moved to retaliate against Singapore's move to also hike fees for foreign vehicle entry permits (VEP) for vehicles using the causeway into the city state.
But DAP's Wong argued that this still did not explain why the EDL project was undertaken by Malaysian Resources Corp (MRCB) at an inflated cost, and why the government then handed MRCB the power to tax motorists.
In a statement, Wong called Wahid's explanation "absurd" and alleged that MRCB was carrying out "daylight robbery."
She said Official Secrets Act should not be used as a tool for the government to hide questionable deals.
Wong pointed out that the 8.1km expressway built at a cost of RM1.3 billion, had probably set the record for the most expensive highway in Malaysia at close to RM160 million per kilometre, and that the fact the EDL is only partially elevated cannot explain its cost.
She added that in comparison, the similar 7.7km Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (Akleh) cost only about RM95 million per km, although it was fully elevated and crosses prime areas of Kuala Lumpur.
Abdul Wahid had said that the government decided not to buy back the "privatised" highway from MRCB after studying the cost.
Wong said this also showed that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak himself had broken a promise as he himself had promised in Parliament before the 13th general election that the EDL would remain toll free.
“However, just about 15 months after the general election, the promise was broken without any detailed justification, except that the price was too high for acquisition.
"The people of Johore will not forgive BN for its flip-flop and blood-sucking privatisation project," Wong said.
From August 1, the new toll charges for vehicles heading into Singapore are RM6.80, RM10.20, RM13.60, RM3.40 and RM5.50 for Class 1 to Class 5 vehicles, respectively. This is a 470 percent increase. However motorcyclists are exempted.
She added that she could not accept minister in prime minister's department Abdul Wahid Omar's assurance that such a move was not arbitrary and backed by a two-year study.
Abdul Wahid (left) had yesterday confirmed that toll hikes was to cover the construction costs for the 8.1 km Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) which connected the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex to the North-South highway.This dispelled talk that the government had moved to retaliate against Singapore's move to also hike fees for foreign vehicle entry permits (VEP) for vehicles using the causeway into the city state.
But DAP's Wong argued that this still did not explain why the EDL project was undertaken by Malaysian Resources Corp (MRCB) at an inflated cost, and why the government then handed MRCB the power to tax motorists.
In a statement, Wong called Wahid's explanation "absurd" and alleged that MRCB was carrying out "daylight robbery."
She said Official Secrets Act should not be used as a tool for the government to hide questionable deals.
Wong pointed out that the 8.1km expressway built at a cost of RM1.3 billion, had probably set the record for the most expensive highway in Malaysia at close to RM160 million per kilometre, and that the fact the EDL is only partially elevated cannot explain its cost.
She added that in comparison, the similar 7.7km Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (Akleh) cost only about RM95 million per km, although it was fully elevated and crosses prime areas of Kuala Lumpur.
Abdul Wahid had said that the government decided not to buy back the "privatised" highway from MRCB after studying the cost.
Wong said this also showed that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak himself had broken a promise as he himself had promised in Parliament before the 13th general election that the EDL would remain toll free.
“However, just about 15 months after the general election, the promise was broken without any detailed justification, except that the price was too high for acquisition.
"The people of Johore will not forgive BN for its flip-flop and blood-sucking privatisation project," Wong said.
From August 1, the new toll charges for vehicles heading into Singapore are RM6.80, RM10.20, RM13.60, RM3.40 and RM5.50 for Class 1 to Class 5 vehicles, respectively. This is a 470 percent increase. However motorcyclists are exempted.
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