New toll rate targets Malaysians working in Singapore – Steven Choong

The BN administration has jerked the Johoreans when it announced the new Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) toll rate for MRCB’s subsidiary MRCB Lingkaran Selatan Sdn. Bhd., which is the toll concessionary holder of the EDL in Johor Baru linking the PLUS North-South Highway that ends at Kg. Pandan to the Sultan Abu Bakar CIQ Complex.

The EDL is 8.1 km and has an elevated section of about 4.4 km. It was built with the cost of about RM1.1 billion. The concessionaire has been given a 34-year concession. It opened to traffic in April 2012 with the intention to collect toll of RM6.20 per trip for each passenger vehicle entering or leaving the CIQ as the fully automated toll collecting instruments are fixed beside the immigration booths.

There is no alternative route for motorists to choose and this goes against an established principle of allowing the motorists an option not to use a tolled highway. It went further to charge a motorist even if the motorist does not use the EDL at all. However, any motorist who uses the full length of the EDL need not pay a single Sen if he does not drive through any of the immigration booth inside the CIQ Complex.

When the news of the proposed RM6.20 rate was first known to the public in December 2011, there was a huge outcry from the Malaysians working in Singapore as well as from the importers and exporters and public transport operators plying Singapore-JB. The sentiments climaxed with the announcement by the PM in March 2012 that he would soon announce that the toll be imposed only on foreign registered cars entering and leaving the JB CIQ. On the same day, Mr. Chua Soi Lek announced a contradictory statement that only motorists that use the EDL would be charged. However, when EDL was opened to traffic in April 2012, the government did not allow MRCB to collect toll but the promised announcement never came bout until September 2012 where it was announced that the government may acquire the EDL for RM1.2 billion.

However, in November 2013, it was reported that the government may consider ditching its initial plans to acquire the EDL as the government is holding firm on reducing its subsidiary bill by not committing to any huge outlay such as compensation to toll concessionaries. The government has been paying RM11 millions monthly compensation to MRCB since April 2012. Hence, the charging of toll on EDL was eminent as from November 2013. But then, it did not happened at all several months after and the Malaysians working in Singapore had since forgotten about this impending nightmare.

Then on 25th July 2014, the Works Ministry dropped the bombshell that toll on EDL will be collected with effect from 1st August 2014 basing on its original absurd principle of collecting the toll from each motorist entering or exiting the CIQ irrespective of the motorist having used the EDL or not. The rate was fixed for a passenger vehicle is RM6.80 each way per trip and was higher than the 2012 proposed rate of RM6.20 per trip per vehicle.

Just two weeks ago, there was a proposal by the Johor Umno Youth to reciprocate Singapore government’s decision to increase the foreign registered vehicle entry permit (VEP) fee from the current S$20 to S$35 (RM90) with effect from  August 1, 2014, with a similar proposed fee of RM20-5m per foreign registered vehicle entering Malaysia.  It was thought then, the VEP collected will be utilized to pay off MRCB’s monthly compensation of RM11 millions. But now, we know that the VEP expected to be enforced from January 2015 is in addition to the just announced EDL toll.

Malaysians working in Singapore are already concerned when they leant that in January 2015, there will be VEP. Before they could settle down with such bad news, came the sudden announcement of the EDL toll rates which will be enforced as of 1st August which leave them no time to make any adjustment. Their anger is expected as the government had given them hope that no EDL toll would be collected but now, with effect from 1 August, they would have to pay RM13.60 (before RM Nil) per round trip for a Singapore registered passengers vehicle and for a Malaysian registered passengers vehicle, the new toll of RM13.60 plus extra Singapore VEP fee of S$15 (RM38) per round trip. This would mean that a daily additional of RM51.60 for Malaysians driving a Singapore car. If the VEP of RM50 is implemented in January 2015, then the daily additional cost will go up to RM101.60. A hefty cut in their take home pay of really RM2,240 monthly.

Malaysians working in Singapore generally feel that the Government is using the EDL and VEP to tax Malaysians working in Singapore since they do not pay taxes in Malaysia. However, this reason should naturally be obsolete once the GST was implemented in April 2015 as by then everyone who spends pay GST.  They have the very reason to believe that they are the target group as most Singapore registered cars in Johor are owned by Malaysians working in Singapore and the EDL toll rate is the most expensive among all similar elevated highways in Malaysia. The table below proves their point:

	EDL	AKLEH	DUKE
Distance	8.1 KM	7.9 KM	18 KM
Elevated section	4.4 KM	7.9 KM	5.3 KM
Toll rate	RM6.80	RM1.50	RM2.00
Toll rate per kilometre	84 Sen	19 Sen	11 Sen

If that is not so, why is there is no alternative route available and the option of using train services was also not feasible due to few train services operated by KTM.

Then, there is still the question of how much of the toll is going to MRCB? If all is going to MRCB, then it would open-up the question of why the Government allows such an exorbitant rate be charged to benefit MRCB. Where has the “Rakyat Diutamakan” principle gone to? What is so special about MRCB that the Government allows them to squeeze the Malaysians working in Singapore.

Then, we heard the most unexpected explanation from our Johor Meteri Besar, Dato' Mohamed Khaled Nordin, that the Government must have thought that the rate is fair and reasonable and that it will reduce traffic jam. The cause of traffic jam on the Causeway is caused by the lack of high pay jobs in Malaysia as well as bad town planning that allows hot spots to be over-built not anything else.

The anti-EDL sentiment is fast growing momentum. Already there is a Group saying they would want to meet the Johor Baru MP, Tan Sri Sharil Samad who has expressed his disagreement with the rate as well as way in which the EDL toll is to be collected. Another Group would want to see the Pulai MP, Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed. All wants a fair and reasonable solution to the problem.

The short-term solution to the problem may be to suspend the collection of EDL toll and continue to explore the acquisition of the EDL by the Government. The Government must also give direction to KTM to increase in the number of Kulai-Woodlands services during peak hours.

In the long-term, the Government must build the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system from Kulai to Woodlands with very frequent services during peak hours as the alternative for Malaysians who works in Singapore so as to reduce traffic jams as well as allowing anyone the alternative to go into Singapore by MRT or car.

Steven Choong  is the national deputy secretary-general of PKR. 

- TMI