KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — Malaysia’s public transport network languished for decades due to “one man’s” obsession with developing a national car, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today in veiled reference to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
According to state news agency Bernama, the prime minister told the Invest Malaysia 2018 that this obsession left the country with a public transportation system that was disjointed and disintegrated.
Dr Mahathir came up with Proton as part of his industrialisation drive, while Najib has been a major proponent of public transportation since taking office.
Among others, he has overseen the launch of the ambitious Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit and the extensions of the existing light rail transit lines, among others.
“One man’s obsession with the idea of a national car — which is now being turned round under international joint ownership — led to Malaysia lacking an efficient public transport system,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
“This was a serious obstacle to our ambition to achieve high income status and for Kuala Lumpur to be a world class capital. So, we immediately took steps to rectify that and indicated that public transport would be a top priority for the government,” said Najib who is also finance minister.
Najib said his administration was still working to undo such “legacy issues” in planning and expanded public transportation in Malaysia.
The Najib government is also undertaking Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail (HSR) and the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) among other measures to boost public transportation in Malaysia.
Dr Mahathir’s national car ambition has been blamed for driving up vehicle prices in Malaysia and contributing to the current congestion that is choking roads and productivity, particularly in the Klang Valley.
