PM: In the end, Malaysians will still pay for toll if abolished

Even if the government abolished toll collection, which is one of Pakatan Harapan's election pledges, the people would still be paying for it, according to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said cancelling all the rates would be too expensive.

“We need to buy the tolled roads. When you buy, you need to raise money and service the loans that we raise. 

"So we try to reduce the money (costs) we have to pay for acquiring highways, that will go stage by stage and step by step, (we decided) on not a fully toll-free road, but partially and free at certain times," he told reporters in Klang this afternoon.

Responding to criticism, Mahathir said the people must understand that even if they don't have to pay the tolls, the government would still need to do so and this would affect the budget for other development projects.

“The government gets money which is collected from the people. In the end, the people will have to pay for the tolls through the government," he added.

"A certain amount of tax collection, which could be used for other developments, will instead be used for highway maintenance," he added.

The opposition had criticised Putrajaya for not wanting to make the highways completely free of charge.

Last Saturday, the Prime Minister's Office announced that the government is negotiating with Gamuda Bhd to acquire four highway concessions.

If the takeover is successful, the government intends to replace the existing toll mechanism with a congestion charge for six hours of peak period in a day.

Commuters can travel on these highways for free during the off-peak hours between 11pm and 5am while those using the highways during normal hours would enjoy discounted rates up to 30 percent compared to existing toll rates.

The four highways rare Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP), Sistem Penyuraian Trafik KL Barat (Sprint), Lebuhraya Shah Alam (Kesas) and Smart Tunnel.

On another matter, Mahathir said the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) would continue if Malaysia and China can agree on the cost.

"If the cost is suitable, we will proceed. For now, we don't agree with the cost given to us," he said. - Mkini