YOURSAY | 'All such big-ticket projects should be cancelled or reviewed. It's a no-brainer.'
BB: This is a good analysis of the KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project. On the face of it, Singapore seems complicit in having Malaysia take up another massive loan via the HSR to cover the 1MDB debt. They can also be accused of taking advantage of former prime minister Najib Razak's corruption woes.
Should we owe them RM500 million in compensation?
Anonymous_781e7840: Unless we abolish the North-South Highway, cannot fly into Singapore Changi airport, or ships cannot berth in Singapore port, we don't need the HSR. By the way, what's so great about Singapore?
Anonymous 15761504748288: I believe only those getting kickbacks and the property speculators with insider information are the ones who would benefit from this project. They have got burned now.
EmEmKay: It is sufficient just to have the Electric Train Service (ETS) run from Kangar to Singapore. However, in the long run, we have to opt for better quality trains from either Korea or Japan. The China-made trains are inferior, with creaking noises from the wheels and broken windows that have never been replaced for ages.
Secondly, in the long-term, Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) must look into upgrading to broad gauge and change the rolling stock accordingly. Such a move is much cheaper than the HSR, and the train speed can be increased to 200mph.
Anticonmen: There is already an existing double-track electrical train system that is under-utilised. Just buy faster trains. Have two services – a slow train and a fast train like in Europe. The same track can be used.
Manage KTM properly in terms of efficiency and service.
Justin Tan: I agree, a non-stop ETS travelling at 140km/h or 180km/h, maybe at one train per hour is what I’m thinking too. I don’t think we have a non-stop train service at the moment yet. Let’s try to do it step by step, starting with a non-stop ETS to gauge the demand and interest in the service, before building a new HSR.
Jk7462000: The unspoken truth (or facts, if you prefer) about any rail system is that it is never commercially viable. One has to look at the overall economic scheme of things (or the bigger picture) and what it can potentially bring i.e. economic growth in existing townships and spawning of new townships for it to be viable. The North-South Highway is an example.
However, if the country's debts are already at such high levels, it may be better to temporarily shelve it, unless the proponents can come up with a better solution that would not cost the government any more than it already has to shoulder.
Cyclonus: An excellent brief write-up. I wish the detailed study of this write-up could be made accessible to the public to dispel the fictitious viability of this project, which is clearly meant to cover institutionalised financial leakages at the expense of Malaysian citizens.
Spinning Wheels: Yes, please cancel the ECRL. It is better to bear the cost of cancellation than to go forward with this and mortgage our future. Pressure should be brought to bear on the government to publish feasibility studies. I can't imagine that we can price ticket at a level that will make the ECRL economically viable.
In any case, at a top speed of 160km/h, it is not high speed, but just a regular electric train.
Lodestar: P Gunasegaram, you have put down facts and figures for what most of us already know at an intuitive level, i.e. the HSR and East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) are nothing more than an enormous waste of public funds, in addition to being vehicles of enrichment for the previous powerful and corrupt leaders.
Why wasn't a business case published for each of these mega projects? Why wasn't there any parliamentary debate before the decision was made to saddle the present and future generations with monstrous debts? Let us be thankful that we have got rid of, perhaps just in time, the corrupt, self-serving politicians with their bottomless well of greed.
Bitter Truth: What Gunasegaram missed out was that the loan repayment will be time-based and not based on the progress of the work done. In other words, monthly payments to repay the loan have to be made, irrespective of the progress of the on-site work.
If there is a delay in work progress, payments will continue. There is no motivation for the contractor to hasten work so that he will be paid.
Sirach: This is another example of how unscrupulous the Chinese communist regime can be. Morals and fair play don't factor into their scheme of doing business. And when they deal with a corrupt and decadent leader like Najib Razak, they pretty much get what they want.
On this issue alone Najib has acted traitorously and should pay the price for his treachery. If he were a China citizen, he might well face the firing squad. China's end-game is economic colonisation as a prelude to political dominance, and they will resort to any means to achieve it.
They must be dealt with utmost caution.
Anonymous_b3501dcf: Agreed, the ECRL project must be scrapped. The damage done by Najib must be kept to a minimum level. Hopefully, more evidence of corruption involved in the contract will surface and be used as a bargaining chip with China.
Anonymous 2478181499087834: I agree, all such big-ticket crony projects should be cancelled or reviewed. This is a no-brainer. But doing so will tank our equity market, at least temporarily, and a lot of crony companies will go under. When that happens, please don't complain about transparency, massaging figures, etc, to please the investors.
The new government is already on the right track. They just cancelled the HSR without even informing Singapore. They can't cancel all crony projects in one go. So please, be patient.
Fyddeep: Guna wrote, “If corruption is involved in the contract...” Guna, all contracts awarded without open tender are corrupt contracts. Cancel all contracts that had been awarded without open tender, even those that have already started.
Billions can be saved. Does the Pakatan Harapan government have the guts to do it? We are watching.
Headhunter: It's time for the MACC to look at some of the well-overpriced projects in Sarawak, some financed by the state government. From information gathered from contractors and the well-connected, Sarawakians are learning that some projects are costing like three to four times what they should be.
MACC can start with the Pan Borneo Highway. Look into completed projects like the series of dams and road construction too. Do it now, before they cart away their ill-obtained wealth overseas.
Hopelessly: In general, any project signed by Najib has high potential of being corrupt, and must be investigated as such. Najib is only interested in what he would benefit personally from those projects, instead of how they benefit the country.
Scrap them all! - Mkini
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