SEMENYIH, Feb 24 — The toll concession announcements are not a ploy by Pakatan Harapan to win votes in Semenyih, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke, but rather a matter of timeliness and readiness.
“Well you can talk about the timing of it but then how long are we going to wait before announcing it? After Semenyih we have the Rantau by-elections. So does it mean because there are by-elections going on we can’t announce anything?” Loke asked reporters after a meet-and-greet session with Chinese voters at Semenyih today.
“We want to be fast, the public want it fast and they want to see decisions made in a prompt fashion. So when we have a decision made and are able to implement we will do so.”
The federal government yesterday announced plans to replace the current system of collecting tolls for highway use with congestion charge system.
The new system with variable fees based on peak period and non-peak hours would be introduced once the federal government succeeds in taking over the operations of four highways.
Under the proposed congestion charge system, highway users will not have to pay anything during “off-peak” hours, but will have to pay a fee during peak hours when there is more traffic.
Loke said the decision will not only help people plan their trips but offer those using the highway late at night to get a discount. He also said what the Opposition are doing in vilifying his ministry’s efforts is in poor taste.
“I’ve heard of BN leaders especially, Najib and Wee Ka Siong, saying we’re giving free toll rides for late nighters so they can drink alcohol, get drunk and go party,” Loke said.
“However is everyone using the roads at night getting drunk? Are all of them consuming alcohol? What about the factory workers and shift workers?
“They use the same highways and we hope with this system we can lower traffic especially during peak hours.”
To a question as to why the government didn’t announce these concessions within their 100 days in office, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who was also in attendance said: “Why BN didn’t do this in 60 years? Try to answer that,” asked Muhyiddin.
“We did it within eight months so why question it? Yes, it was in the election manifesto but due to the situation in the country we couldn’t accomplish it earlier.
“However everyone can see we are doing the right thing. Maybe not so fast but in stages and it’s benefiting the people. So please do not twist the narrative saying why we did this and why we didn’t do that.
“Ask instead why Najib when in office didn’t solve any of the country’s issues. The people must appreciate what we’re doing for them,” he added.
