'Gov't can abolish tolls, but we have to be realistic'

PARLIAMENT | The BN government, said Deputy Works Minister Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, can indeed abolish tolls, but it also has to be realistic.

Rosnah was responding to Teo Nie Ching (DAP-Pulai), who said that abolishing tolls in the country was not "mission impossible", citing Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's announcement on the abolishment of four tolls in the country in his 2018 Budget speech.

The deputy minister said abolishing tolls was indeed doable as the BN government is a "responsible government that can implement things to ensure the people's welfare".

"Because we take care of all Malaysians, we do not only take care of certain segments (of the society), Yang Berhormat.

"However, at the same time, we have to be realistic here. Any action, for example the abolishment of tolls. We have done it."

And this, added Rosnah (photo), was not mere lip service on the part of the government.

"We don't make U-turns. We never make U-turns, we postponed doing it but after that, we abolished (the tolls).

"The prime minister announced the abolishment and then we abolished (the four tolls)," she added.

To Teo's question on the amount of compensation paid to the four toll concessionaires, Rosnah said this was a policy matter that would be discussed.

"It will be announced by the Finance Ministry. This matter is still in the process of being worked out, so I hope you will be patient and will wait for it.

"I also hope your (party) colleagues do not manipulate whatever statement that is issued by the government. I ask of this as your friend," added Rosnah.

The four toll booths abolished were the Batu Tiga and Sungai Rasau toll booths in Selangor, the Bukit Kayu Hitam toll booth in Kedah and the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) toll booth in Johor.

Najib said last month that he was opposed to highway tolls and blamed the scourge on an unnamed former prime minister, believed to be Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Earlier, Rosnah, in her oral response to Khairuddin Aman Razali (PAS-Kuala Nerus) said the cost of building highways that started operating between 1988 and 2016 was from RM45 million to RM5.9 billion for each highway.

Operational and maintenance costs borne by the concessionaires, on the other hand, were between RM6.82 million and RM1.5 billion in 2016.

"Also, for your information, the amount of toll collected by concessionaires in 2016 was between RM27 million and RM2.867 billion," she said. -Mkini