No highways without tolls, says Dr Mahathir

Updated 7 years ago · Published on 12 Oct 2018 10:38AM · 9 Comments

Dr Mahathir Mohamad (second from right) and other Asean leaders take a picture with IMF managing director Christine Lagarde in Bali yesterday. – EPA pic, October 12, 2018.

IT is not possible to have highways without toll collection, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Dr Mahathir said he was against the toll-free highways pledge in the Pakatan Harapan election manifesto.

“We made the manifesto thinking we would not be the government. Now we are the government and this manifesto is a big burden.

“But, at that time, I was against it la. I know, to have a freeway … you cannot. The only way to have freeways and no toll is to raise the price of petrol,” he told Bernama and RTM at the conclusion of the inaugural Asean Leaders’ Gathering in Bali yesterday.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, carried the theme “Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and Overcoming Development Gap through Regional and Global Collaborative Actions”. 

This is Dr Mahathir’s second visit to Indonesia since becoming the prime minister for the second time after Malaysia’s historic general election in May, and the first engagement at the Asean level ahead of the 10-member group’s summit next month in Singapore.

He asked who would maintain the roads or build new roads if the government does away with toll collection.

“You tell the private sector to do the roads. They want to make money, but if you don’t have toll, how can you make money?”

Dr Mahathir said that in England, there are no toll roads but the country imposes a heavy tax on petroleum and when the petroleum price goes up, the tax goes up even higher.

“So, they use that money. But if you get the money out of the sale of petroleum, people who do not use the highway also have to pay. But here (highway) users pay. This is our belief. The users pay; those people who are not using (the roads), why should they pay?”

Dr Mahathir had said that the PH government will need to review its pledges as some of them would impose great losses if implemented. – Bernama, October 12, 2018.

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Comments

  • When you stand in an election, you want to win. Dont say you never thought you can win. Then pointless standing and making promises that you cant fulfill. Very irresponsible to The Malaysian public. And also not fair to the other Party.

    Posted 7 years ago by Aplanaidu Pathanaidu · Reply

  • We know. The first lopsided highway awarded to a concessionaire was handled and approved by you, for your crony. The rest of the other tolls followed the same lopsided deal.

    Posted 7 years ago by Jackal Way · Reply

  • Aisay, then say so la when you prepare the manifesto. Not come out with BS*** AFTER you've become PM... If BN govt in the past (under you la) had not wasted so much money in wasteful privatization, expensive bail-outs - you think we would have needed to even construct tolled highways? If so, why are you day-dreaming about a third national car project, with Khazanah's money? Now you know what I am worried? What else would you & PH end up deeming as "negotiable" in your manifesto. Someone was right when they said, "how to tell if a politician is not lying? When his lips do not move".

    Posted 7 years ago by Rock Hensem · Reply

  • Mahatir you are what you are and never change. Very supercial promises when it is election to garner votes and after victory it is not your doing and agreement to it at all. Tell us something new about you ??????. Actuall you do not have to do away with toll on the highway but could easily review the toll rates which are exorbitantly high to support cronies in fleecing the rakyat. High time that toll charges is recalculated and those that already have many years of collection and have fulfilled the cost outlay coupled many years of high profit margin should be done away and outsurce to competitive highway maintenance crew. It is up to the PH Government in their sincerity and the will to do it. We are watching!!!!!. Do not cry croc tears when GE15 is near.

    Posted 7 years ago by Lee Lee · Reply

  • Stop the crap story..

    Posted 7 years ago by Balusamy gopal · Reply

  • So, now I know how to "read between the lines" - manifesto remain when PH loss GE (to be recycled for next GE) AND manifesto is only paper (for recycle as well) when PH win".

    Posted 7 years ago by Kian Yee Voong · Reply

  • So, now I know how to "read between the lines" - manifesto remain when PH loss GE (to be recycled for next GE) AND manifesto is only paper (for recycle as well) when PH win".

    Posted 7 years ago by Kian Yee Voong · Reply

  • What a let-down from Tun Dr M's selective cherry-picking of election promises. So when can we trust politicians when they issue a manifesto which is a written declaration of the intentions of a party should the party win an election and form the government?

    I would have reluctantly accepted a compromise (like a fraction of the toll and/or a shortening of the concession periods) but to say "business as usual" when it has been demonstrated that most, if not all, toll highway concessionaire agreements are less-than-arms-length sweetheart deals.

    There are so many other ways to skin the cat. If we let the toll concession agreement go on, we should legislate new taxes for all revenue derived from the collection of toll at a rate of say, 90% and see whether the concessionaires would want to carry on. They have already recouped all their original investments and are now raking in the gross profits. No need to pay compensation; just tax all future toll revenue at 90%.

    Posted 7 years ago by Yok Foo Yap · Reply

  • Only after gaining control of the government, was the actual financial situation made accessible and known..
    So what if not all the manifestos are achieved. In a realistic sense some of the manifestos cannot be achieved as pointed out by Dr M. The government is doing its best to achieve what can be achieved given the current / present economic and financial situation.
    Lets be grateful to what the Government is doing for the rakyat today. If left to the previous government, we would probably be a bankrupt state within the near future.. that would definitely not augur well for you and me!!

    Posted 7 years ago by Thiruchelvam Thirunavukarasu · Reply