FORMER Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak slammed Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for insisting that the High-Speed Rail (HSR) project need not include Singapore in the equation and urged for the rail line to be extended to Bangkok, Thailand instead.
“The distance between and Johor Bahru and Singapore is 20km. However, the distance between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok is 1,400km.
“Does he know how to balance between costing and economic returns?” he queried in a Facebook post.
The HSR project was mooted during Najib’s tenure as premier. However, Muhyiddin cancelled the route towards Singapore during his administration citing cost issues earlier this year. Malaysia paid RM320 mil in compensation to Singapore for it.
However, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob decided that he wanted to revive the project, with Singapore onboard, earning public ire for wasting millions in taxpayers’ funds.
“We are becoming an international laughing stock for proposing to revive the project after paying RM320 mil in compensation to Singapore for terminating it earlier this year.
“This flip-flip only shows the incompetence of both Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional Governments, which bled hundreds of millions of ringing for a start-stop-start project,” DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng was reported saying on Nov 30.
Yesterday, Muhyiddin defended his decision during a keynote speech at his party’s annual general assembly and stressed the need to consider Bangkok instead.
“We do not need to wait for Singapore to get involved in the project again. A private consortium can be created to build the project from the south to the north of the country, funded entirely by the private sector, including the cost of land acquisition.
“With the prospects of connecting the HSR to Thailand, Indo-China and China, I believe there are many who will be interested to join the project,” Malaysiakini reported the Pagoh MP as saying.
Taking pot shots at Muhyiddin, Najib added: “All is good. As long as someone’s cronies secure the project and get RM11 bil in compensation, right? – Dec 20, 2021.
Pic credit: CNBC/Gettys Images
