Blame Dr M, not me, for Penang Bridge toll, Najib tells Guan Eng

 

The former Pakatan Harapan government gave an 18% discount on the Penang Bridge toll but the concession period was extended by another 20 years, says Najib Razak. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: Najib Razak has rubbished claims by Lim Guan Eng that he was responsible for implementing the Penang Bridge toll.

He also reminded the DAP national chairman that it was Dr Mahathir Mohamad who did it in his first stint as prime minister.

“The one who implemented the toll was your boss ‘Atok’ (Mahathir). He even drove his Proton Saga across the bridge when he officiated the bridge,” Najib said in a Facebook post today.

He was responding to the former Penang chief minister’s claim that Najib had implemented the toll without taking any steps to reduce the toll charges.

Najib suggested that Lim may have been unhappy with him for mocking DAP’s efforts in giving an 18% discount for the Penang Bridge toll but having extended the concession period for the bridge and highway tolls from 18 years to 38 years.

“When I was prime minister, the government had given a 20% discount for all Penangites who paid the toll charge using Touch ‘n Go cards.

“I also abolished 11 tolls and built two major highways without tolls during my time,” he said.

“How many tolls were abolished and how many major highways without tolls were built when Pakatan Harapan (PH) was in power?”

Recently, Najib claimed that DAP had betrayed the people of Penang over its promise to abolish the toll on the Penang Bridge if PH won the 2018 general election (GE14).

He pointed out that Lim had instead allowed the toll concession period to be extended by another 20 years, until 2058.

“The PH-DAP government gave an 18% discount on the bridge toll in 2020 and asked the people of Penang to praise them.

“But do the people of Penang know that this 18% discount was given on the condition that the PLUS concession on bridge and highway tolls is extended for another 20 years from 2038 to 2058?

“The people of Penang (and their grandchildren) have to pay tolls for another 38 years,” he said, adding that the discount was small but the concession period has been doubled. - FMT