WITH the Government planning to establish the Amanat Lebuhraya Rakyat Bhd (ALR) to restructure the deals made with four highway concession companies, Pakatan Harapan urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to provide explanation on the matter at the Parliament.
“We urge the prime minister to be transparent on the establishment of ALR for RM5.48 bil, particularly on its ownership and finances.
“With that said, we also call upon the Government to provide additional discounts to motorists using the four highways,” its leaders said, in a joint statement.
The statement was signed by PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Parti Amanah Negara president Mohamad Sabu, DAP secretary general Anthony Loke and United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation president Datuk Seri Madius Tangau.
Yesterday, Ismail Sabri announced that the toll rates on highways operated by four highway concessionaires in the Klang Valley will remain unchanged until the end of their concession period with the restructuring of the four concession companies.
He said the restructuring was implemented in line with the Government’s objective to alleviate the burden of Malaysian Family and claimed it would not affect the Government’s finances.
The concessionaires involved are Shah Alam Expressway (Kesas), Syarikat Mengurus Air Banjir dan Terowong Sdn Bhd which manages the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART), Sistem Penyuraian Trafik KL Barat Sdn Bhd which manages Kuala Lumpur Traffic Dispersal Scheme (SPRINT) Expressway and Lingkaran Trans Kota Sdn Bhd which manages Damansara-Puchong (LDP) Expressway.
It’s our idea!
On that note, Pakatan reiterated that announcement was a continuation of the coalition’s efforts during its brief administration of Putrajaya back in 2018, when the Cabinet team back then started the process of acquiring highways in the country.
“This only proves that if we were not ousted in 2020, Pakatan could have come up with various programmes to alleviate the people’s burdens.
“For example, we started the initiative to end the concession with North-South Highway (PLUS) by reducing toll charges by 18% in 2020.
“In fact, we even planned to provide a discount of 30% for 16 hours a day in the four highways mentioned by the prime minister,” they remarked. – April 5, 2022
