KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 26 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today declined to comment on the supposed cancellation of the China-backed East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project, saying it is not in his purview.

The home minister said he is unsure about it, and would like to leave it to the ministers in charge of the matter.

"Perhaps the prime minister or the finance minister will be able to explain in detail. But I am not involved with ECRL,” he told reporters after launching a book by Setiawangsa MP Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad titled 9 Mei 2018: Catatan dari Garis Depan.

"To prevent any further confusion I wish to reserve any further comments. It is best that Cabinet members avoid issuing contradicting statements,” he said, adding that he is sure the government will release an official statement in due time.

Muhyiddin confirmed that he attended the Thursday Cabinet meeting but did not mention if the ECRL project was discussed.

The termination of the ECRL project was first reported by Chinese vernacular paper Sin Chew Daily yesterday.

Earlier today, Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said the Cabinet decided to scrap the project in the Thursday meeting, citing financial unsustainability as the government would have to pay as much as RM500 million in interest for its continuation.

This was met with shock by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng, who said Azmin may not be aware of Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s decision.

Azmin’s remarks were also met with amused derision by former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who suggested in a tongue-in-cheek manner on a Facebook post they could at least call one another once in a while to remain on the same page.