In defending toll hikes, PM hits out at Penang and Selangor

YOURSAY | ‘But toll increases go to concessionaires who are the cronies of BN.’

Opposition also raises charges, says Najib

Gunnerrun: PM Najib Razak, your GST (Goods and Services Tax) is enough to ‘kill’ entire families. We are now taxed at every level and it permeates every nook and cranny, every single day.

What is an additional few ringgit for water tariffs and parking fees a month when we all know Malaysia has one of the lowest rates in the world as frequently drummed up by the National Water Services Commission (Span). Now with the badly bludgeoned value of our currency, things are getting out of control.

Even the simplest stuff is imported, if not for consumption, as intermediary goods. Add that with GST, it is a double whammy. Can families go out and have dinner several times a week now? Of course not, times are bad.

And you dare use Penang's case for comparison, which is real pathetic considering the damage you keep inflicting on us. No wonder you can never get the Budget right.

Wira: Mr PM, you don't even understand why Malaysians are complaining. You raised taxes but were seen spending public money lavishly on yourself and your wife.

You failed to explain with sufficient accountability why RM2.6 billion landed in your personal bank account and where the money subsequently went.

If you were honest with the rakyat, they might forgive you perhaps after they see restitution of those lost money.

Justine Gow: "He (Najib) also revealed that the government is still paying RM580 million compensation for intercity highways this year alone."

What was he whining about here? That RM580 million is not paid from his own pocket, it is from taxes collected. RM580 million is about 20% of the RM2.6 billion "donation" in his personal account.

By the way, talking about RM2.6 billion, I wonder what happens to the threat to sue former MCA chief Ling Liong Sik.

Citizen No.26: There is only one great difference. The increases in charges and fees of the states of Penang and Selangor are paid into the state coffers to benefit the rakyat of the states.

However, the toll increases go to the toll operators who are the cronies of BN to benefit their own families.

Therefore, what is the PM trying to prove? Perhaps he can fool the rural folks.

Quigonbond: Indeed, this is what you call a false comparison. Najib did not state any facts, and without facts, the comparison is meaningless, and opens himself up as fodder for future opposition rebuttal.

He did not say those rates went up before the ringgit, economy and confidence took a pummelling. He did not say the rates went up by a few percentages, as compared with toll rates going up as much as 100 percent.

If a leader has no respect for a proper analysis or factual discourse, not even children should follow what he says, much less adults.

Mushiro: Yes, the opposition state governments found it necessary to raise charges imposed on the people because the Umno federal government does not allocate fair distribution of federal funds, which is from taxes collected from rakyat, including those in the opposition states, back to the states for development.

Malaytoo: Is he saying he's justified in making people suffer because others do it too? Unbelievable!

Bamboo: Water tariffs, development fees, parking fees are raised but no one is complaining as money is needed to maintain and provide services. What about highway concessionaires?

Soft loan was provided for the one-off cost to build the highways. Traffic volume increases year after year to more than enough to cover the road maintenance costs, but secretive agreements allow the concessionaires to raise toll from time to time and raking in massive profits at the expense of road users.

And we know the money goes to Umno and its cronies. Of course, road users would complain as they have got a raw deal.

Vijay47: This is the pits, Najib. You are the prime minister and when you reduce yourself to this shameful childish, primitive level of rebuttal, you only reveal what a desperate failure you are.

You are rapidly losing even more of the decorum and honour of the office you hold when your word far from assuring, actually becomes fodder for disbelief and contempt.

You seem unaware even now that after your many pledges and promises, the best option for you is silence.

Odysseus: Najib, the only reason you have to pay compensation to the toll concessionaires is because you and cronies included the clause in the contract.

Please tell where in this world is there a contract that guarantees profit. If you want to guarantee profit, you might as well operate those highways yourself and plow back the profit to the rakyat.

Res Ipsa: The general rule is that one has to honour an agreement but this does not mean that the agreement can't be broken if it becomes too onerous to perform.

What we really need here is a rationalisation exercise to study the cost-benefit of keeping an agreement alive in comparison with the financial implications of an early termination.

It may be the case that early termination with compensation for the breach may make better financial sense after rationalisation.

It is pointless to point fingers towards the party responsible for making the agreement in the past as it is not going to change anything for now.

Onlooker: Six months have gone by and I am yet to find anything that has reduced in price because the GST is lower than the sales tax.

Even the prices of items in shops that have 'absorbed the GST' have actually stayed the same, despite no longer including the sales tax.

James_3392: Najib, since managing the country is so difficult why not let the opposition try it out for one term?

Let them suffer under the serious constrain of not having enough money to fund all the expenditures and eventually they have to raise even higher taxes.

The rakyat will then curse them and will vote Umno back into power. Not a good idea? -Mkini