Does political 'civil war' interest PN govt more than governing, asks Lim

 

Former finance minister Lim Guan Eng has questioned the Perikatan Nasional government's interest in governing.

This came after Putrajaya paid RM320 million in compensation to Singapore for cancelling the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project).

"Is the PN government still interested in running a government for the people’s benefit or engaging in a fratricidal civil war for political survival?" Lim (above) asked in a statement today.

The termination of the HSR project was announced on Jan 1 this year after the bilateral agreement lapsed.

Malaysia wanted to make changes to the rail line, but Singapore was not agreeable to the plan, ultimately leading to the termination.

Singapore's Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said the main reason why both countries could not reach an agreement on the HSR project was that Malaysia wanted to do away with the AssetsCo.

Under the AssetsCo model, Malaysia and Singapore must jointly call for an international tender to appoint a suitable company to take the role of AssetsCo.

Putrajaya said the proposed changes were in view of the state of Malaysia’s economy as it was no longer financially viable. 

Meanwhile, Lim said plans for an alternative HSR project ending in Johor Bahru had questionable financial sustainability.

"This is not feasible as it raises questions about the project’s financial sustainability as well as limiting its positive economic impact to the country if the HSR does not stop in Singapore.

"There is no doubt that Johor will be the greatest loser from the cancelled HSR project.

"At the moment, the people of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor are still waiting for progress on the alternative project," he said. - Mkini