PUTRAJAYA, Feb 1 — Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was today tight-lipped on a Chinese company’s offer to reduce the cost of the East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) in order to save the project, refusing even to speculate about it.

When reporters asked him if he would hypothetically accept the offer by the contractor yesterday, China Communications Construction Company Ltd (CCCC), he jokingly replied: "Hypothetically, I don’t accept you.”

He said at a press conference after the Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting today that he was still waiting for the result of ongoing discussions.

"The status of the project right now is still being negotiated and I cannot say what is happening because I have to wait for the result. I don’t know (when the result of the negotiations will be completed) but it will be as soon as possible,” he said.

News agency Reuters reported yesterday that the contractor had offered to halve the cost of the project, but Putrajaya had not responded.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng recently issued a gag order over the issue of the RM81 billion project after many Cabinet ministers, including Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, contradicted each another on whether the project has been terminated.

ECRL was first mooted by the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government and is facing the axe because of its high cost and apparent lack of economic benefits to the nation.