UMNO supreme council member Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek scoffed at Terengganu PKR chief Azan Ismail after the latter questioned the potential high ticket prices of trains managed by East Coast Rail Link (ECRL).
“Pakatan Harapan questioned the need for ECRL before the 14th General Election and vowed to cancel it. Now, you’re questioning it again nearing the general election. Are you guys planning to cancel it again?” he jested in a Facebook post.
Yesterday, Azan said that while he liked the idea of improving transportation system in the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia, he urged the Government to ensure ticket prices remain affordable.
He stated that there were concerns tickets could be expensive due to the project’s massive cost, which is expected to soar further due to the weakening ringgit.
“Many people from the east coast welcomed the implementation of the ECRL, which is expected to alleviate traffic congestion.
“However, will they be able to afford tickets if they are many times more expensive than a flight to the same destination?
“At the same time, will the country and future generations be able to foot the debt taken on for the project?” Malaysiakini reported him as asking.
Touching on the matter, Ahmad Shabery said that having multiple options of easy and safe transportation system would make a country more competitive, adding it would attract investors.
Japan and China, the former minister added, pioneered this concept by improving their transportation connectivity first, which eventually helped in their localities’ economic development.
“Once the economic activity in the areas soar, the real estate value around the places will increase too,” Ahmad Shabery mentioned.
Long term project
On the cost, he stressed that the Government was looking at ECRL as a long-term project and was not looking at return on investment (ROI) for now.
Citing an example, Ahmad Shabery said when the Government builds a new hospital, it is natural to get asked on how much would it cost taxpayers.
“It is easier to answer that one because hospitals, schools, universities and roads are considered long-term investments. The Government does not do business with the people as we collect taxes from them.
“It’s the same with Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT) and KTM’s double track railway project. They all cost billions but the fares we charge doesn’t take into consideration of immediate ROI .
“Besides, Azan should understand that just because AirAsia’s fare from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu is cheap, it doesn’t mean Kemaman folks will use the same flight back to Kuala Lumpur as the KLIA is located in Sepang,” the former Kemaman MP remarked. – May 5, 2022
