Guan Eng launched RM6.2b highway takeover plan without Cabinet approval? No such thing, says PM

Guan Eng launched RM6.2b highway takeover plan without Cabinet approval? No such thing, says PM

Did finance minister Lim Guan Eng roll out the RM6.2 billion highway takeover plan without the agreement of the cabinet? No such thing happened, says prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“No such thing. The cabinet was told about this plan by the ministry of finance and we have not said no. The date of the implementation is going to be decided by the cabinet,” the PM said in Putrajaya today, reported by the Malay Mail. He also denied that the proposal to buy out the four toll concessionaires has been put on hold pending a full review, as alleged by reports.

Yesterday, Singapore’s Straits Times (ST) claimed that the proposed takeover has been paused for a re-examination of the offered price, and that some in the federal government, including cabinet members, believed that the offer was excessive. It also said that the finance ministry’s projected revenue, backed by congestion charge collection, may not allow for the acquisition to be self-funded as presented.

Guan Eng launched RM6.2b highway takeover plan without Cabinet approval? No such thing, says PM

The ST report, picked up by local media, also mentioned that the issue was causing friction within the Pakatan Harapan coalition government, quoting an unnamed Malaysian minister. The minister said Lim had presented the plan to the public and made offers for the Gamuda-linked concessionaires without the agreement of the cabinet.

It was pointed out that Gamuda, which is agreeable to the buyout offers, is leading the ambitious RM46 billion Penang Transport Masterplan. Lim was the chief minister of Penang before last year’s general election. The report also quoted an unnamed DAP leader who somewhat confirmed the internal resistance to the takeover proposal. “The finance ministry is of the view that the proposal is good, but it has taken on an unfortunate political twist,” the person said.

In June, the Minister of Finance Inc made a RM6.2 billion offer to take over the operators of the Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP), Sistem Penyuraian Trafik KL Barat (Sprint), Lebuhraya Shah Alam (Kesas) and the Smart Tunnel.

Guan Eng launched RM6.2b highway takeover plan without Cabinet approval? No such thing, says PM

Lim had said that the takeover bid is being done in the name of public interest, and with the congestion charge system in place, the highways will be toll-free during off-peak hours and toll rates will be 30% lower outside of peak hours.

“This is because the government is not an organisation looking to make a profit. We have taken out the element of profit and are doing it for the public good unlike private enterprises which must make a return,” he said.

The minister stressed that the highway takeover move will not incur cost to the government and that toll rates would not be increased. This is because the takeover will be financed through bond issuance, with congestion charges used to pay off the debt. The plan will also see consumers save up to RM180 million in toll charges during the concession period, he added.

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Danny Tan

Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.

 

Comments

  • NST Editor on Aug 01, 2019 at 12:29 pm

    Singapore Straits Times (ST) fake news again..

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 22 Thumb down 12
    • Ghani on Aug 01, 2019 at 1:44 pm

      ST not the same as our NST. Their ST are more credible.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 21 Thumb down 14
      • Darren on Aug 01, 2019 at 3:26 pm

        NST, TV3, Utusan forreva credible.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 5
      • Khalid Nordin on Aug 01, 2019 at 5:21 pm

        NST mainly Uitm, Mara and IIU graduates. They don’t teach good ethics in journalism.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 14
        • P.Alyanna on Aug 02, 2019 at 11:58 am

          Never knew Ahchong, ahkow, ahLian graduated from Uitm, Mara & IIU. How did they managed to understand the syllabus?

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 8 Thumb down 0
        • Hafiz Hisham on Aug 02, 2019 at 2:32 pm

          That is the problem nowadays. So when they aren’t proficient in BM, they can easily misreport what was said in BM. That is the problem with alternative education.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 0
        • Mokmok on Aug 02, 2019 at 3:33 pm

          This is hilarious..! I really hope your ‘kerabat’ didn’t graduated from there, or else they would turned up worse than you. If those journalists were ethically negative why would other newspapers nor tabloids wrote the same story but with different perspectives?

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
      • John Doe on Aug 01, 2019 at 9:08 pm

        All rushing to claim fake news.
        The irony is it always come from those spreading fake news all the time.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
    • U-Tun on Aug 01, 2019 at 1:52 pm

      Read between the lines “we have not said no” but we have not said yes either..

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 5
      • Mr. Octopus on Aug 01, 2019 at 3:12 pm

        “The date of the implementation is going to be decided by the cabinet”

        That sounds like a yes to me.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 3 Thumb down 3
        • Avenger on Aug 01, 2019 at 4:57 pm

          The cabinet is toothless yesmen & women. If he never give the nod, it won’t go ahead. You can count on that.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
        • Susukotak on Aug 01, 2019 at 5:00 pm

          Owh yes, yes! Manifesto ditepati! Hidup Tun!

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
        • English Teacher on Aug 01, 2019 at 10:41 pm

          How did ambiguity sounded like confirmation to you? Which language taught you that?

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
      • lut you on Aug 03, 2019 at 4:28 pm

        Politician’s speech technical, “we have not said no”, in other words “we have not said yes”

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • azhar on Aug 01, 2019 at 12:38 pm

    singapore media…trying their best to fooled malaysians

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 16
    • lilytan on Aug 01, 2019 at 1:26 pm

      Yezz. This foreign interference in internal affairs.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 8
      • EDITOR on Aug 01, 2019 at 10:45 pm

        Clare Brown: “Foreign interference? What foreign interference?” *goes back to writing articles unrelated to Sarawak*

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 0
    • lilytan on Aug 01, 2019 at 1:30 pm

      Yesh. This foreign interference in internal affairs.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 6
    • Ghani on Aug 01, 2019 at 1:44 pm

      At this point, Singapore news outlet are more dependable than Malaysian counterpart. Their MSM don’t have them going around making fake news and being called out for doing so.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 13 Thumb down 8
    • Abraham Lincoln on Aug 01, 2019 at 2:01 pm

      You’d rather get fooled by LGE right. He can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but he cannot fool all the people all the time.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 43 Thumb down 7
      • Hussain Ong on Aug 01, 2019 at 7:25 pm

        At 93 still goin so strong. Tun M mmg terbaik.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 1
        • Rakyat Malaysia on Aug 02, 2019 at 12:00 pm

          Why do we need him to keep going strong and suck our money? Please spare us after your first time.

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
        • Amran on Aug 02, 2019 at 12:10 pm

          Tun M mantap! Can tarik henbrek U-turn dorifto until Takumi Fujiwara pun kalah menyujut. The new touge king of U-turns, twist-turns, and songlap turns! Salut you Tun, U dah jadi my idola!

          Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 0
    • P.Alyanna on Aug 01, 2019 at 4:23 pm

      Old man said cannot proceed becoz he needed the money for his flying sportscar project.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 16 Thumb down 3
    • P.Alyanna on Aug 01, 2019 at 4:26 pm

      As if PH diehards cared about foreign interference in internal affairs when leading up to GE14.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 9 Thumb down 1
  • Spin Too Much on Aug 01, 2019 at 12:52 pm

    “we have not said no” But you haven’t said yes, am right? Catch the double meaning of his words there?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 27 Thumb down 0
  • Turn M on Aug 01, 2019 at 2:06 pm

    Yessss… Let’s confuse the people. All is going according to keikaku.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 12 Thumb down 1
  • Ben Yap on Aug 01, 2019 at 2:19 pm

    the 3rd national car the cabinets said “yes”?

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
  • newme on Aug 01, 2019 at 2:49 pm

    Nvm lah. Don’t have to feel bad.
    We are used to U-turn already.
    U-turn is expected and nothing surprises us.

    If there’s no U-turn, then we are surprised.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 28 Thumb down 1
    • Lolwhat on Aug 01, 2019 at 3:18 pm

      U-turn to save Billions. Nvm lah. Don’t feel bad.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 7 Thumb down 14
      • Rakyat Malaysia on Aug 01, 2019 at 4:59 pm

        Can we Uturn on the last election results as well? We feel like Uturning.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 6 Thumb down 1
      • Celup King on Aug 01, 2019 at 10:55 pm

        If he UTurns as well on the billions to be thrown into national flying car, then I won’t feel so bad.

        Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • Not Toyota Fan on Aug 01, 2019 at 4:04 pm

    Why is the ENTIRE Cabinet fixated on trivial things, things that will cost the taxpayers, low hanging fruits ???????

    We have bigger issues to fix. We didn’t vote you buggers in so that it’s your turn to songlap and keep things as it is.

    Low hanging fruits is not something you can do a press conference and gloat over it and think Mission Accomplished. You guys are supposed to set the future policies, to implement changes, to address the imbalances, to push the country towards a better tomorrow for our children. We’re not expecting changes tomorrow but at least have a time frame to fix it, prioritise the important issues to be addressed.

    And for God sake, if you want to play internal party politics and scandal here there, go resign your ministerial position and let somebody else who can do the job be minister. We will vote you all out next GE if you still think of jostling for PM position and not show us that you’re serious in meeting your election promises.

    This is our promise to you, we will vote you OUT should you fail us. Take heed.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 14 Thumb down 1
    • Calvin on Aug 01, 2019 at 10:39 pm

      Don’t say like that. You say like that, they will hurry to clear out the country’s money reserves before they get booted out. Do it silently like how PH did. One ‘good’ deed deserves another.

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 4 Thumb down 0
  • U-Tun M on Aug 01, 2019 at 4:09 pm

    This u turn government is the best in the world

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 18 Thumb down 0
  • panjang on Aug 01, 2019 at 5:32 pm

    Looks like Malaysian fell for ‘it’.
    What we fail to see is how media manipulate us. This is regardless who is in charge. Such is our political landscape.

    In a good way, it helps promote transparency.
    The bad thing is we loves news so much and uses the media so much that we forget about running a nation.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 2
  • vVivi Zurianti on Aug 02, 2019 at 9:13 am

    Drive fast fast, enter corner, simply tarik handbrake, TURN steering wheel….Spectacular U-turn surely.

    Biasalah, the govt

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 5 Thumb down 0
    • Gregory michael on Aug 02, 2019 at 8:01 pm

      Haha that is old snake for you which you all votes.right .

      Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 1
 

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