HSR cancellation sign of govt weakness, says Umno veep

 

The move by the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government to abort the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project is a sign of weakness in its administration and decision-making, a senior Umno leader claimed today.

Taking to Facebook, Umno vice-president Khaled Nordin said Malaysia appeared to be unaware of the potential benefits from the regional cooperation with Singapore.

"The government was unable to make a firm and consistent decision on cross-border economic integration between both countries and instead, displayed a flip-flop stand.

"Malaysia has lost a golden opportunity to foster closer ties between these two metropolia that are among Southeast Asia's economic engines," he said.

Khaled added that PN's inconsistent stand was evident as the cancellation, on grounds of financial constraints amid the Covid-19 pandemic, contradicted Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's announced strategies last June for Malaysia to continue its large-scale development projects.

"As a result of this inconsistent stand, the HSR project which would bring economic benefits is a victim of uncertainty," he said.

Previously, Johor Umno Youth chief Mohd Hairi Mad Shah had said the government's decision was tantamount to "killing" Johor's economy.

Hairi said the HSR project would have spurred development in three districts in Johor and demanded Putrajaya to provide detailed reasons for the about-turn on the billion ringgit project.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mustapa Mohamed has defended the cancellation as the "best solution" for Malaysia amid concerns raised over long-term losses.

In an interview with Astro Awani last night, Mustapa reiterated that the project's original model, which would have required tenders to be jointly conducted with Singapore, was too costly.

Furthermore, Mustapa said the new model proposed by Malaysia would have given Putrajaya the freedom to appoint local contractors and consultants.

He said this in response to Singapore's Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung who revealed that the main reason both countries could not reach an agreement on the HSR project was that Malaysia wanted to do away with a proposed jointly tendered asset company (AssetCo).

In lieu of the cancellation, the government is now exploring the possibility of a domestic HSR between Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru. - Mkini