Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has rubbished claims that the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project would have been a catalyst for job creation.
"You want to spend RM60 billion to RM100 billion so that 100,000 people can work, that is not very efficient," Mahathir said when met by reporters in Putrajaya tonight.
He was asked to respond to former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's comments on the HSR.
Najib said the HSR would create 110,000 jobs initially, which would grow to 442,000 employment opportunities by 2069.
He also said that by that year, the HSR could generate RM650 billion in gross national income.
Mahathir had scrapped the HSR as a cost-cutting measure.
The prime minister said the government will, however, have to pay RM500 million to Singapore as compensation for cancelling the project.
On a separate matter, Mahathir said the government will be renegotiating toll concessions.
"We will renegotiate," he said briefly.
He was responding to a question on the Plus highway toll concession, which was originally supposed to end tomorrow, May 31.
However, the previous government had in 2011 extended the toll concession to 2038, following a privatisation exercise that same year. -Mkini
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