‘PM takes into account people’s interest’
KUALA LUMPUR: The government’s move to stop toll collection in stages is a strategic plan to look after the interests of consumers.
National Council of Professors political, security and international relations cluster secretary Professor Datuk Abdul Halim Sidek said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s style of leadership was to ensure that each policy under his administration, including the abolition of tolled roads, took into account all stakeholders.
He said policies undertaken by the government took into account the basic rights of people, well as to fulfil promises made in the last general election.
“Datuk Seri Najib took the decision to abolish tolled roads in stages after weighing all aspects. This was not to win over the people.
“This is unlike (the actions of ) a previous prime minister, who placed the interests of organisations above the interests of people.
“In the issue of abolition of tolled roads, the biggest concern is to lighten the people’s burden without denying the interests of organisations involved. Najib does not try to pull the wool over the people’s eyes. Whatever he has promised, he tries his best to keep,” he told the New Straits Times Press.
In October last year, Najib announced that toll collection on four roads in Batu Tiga in Shah Alam, Sungai Rasau in Klang, Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah and the Johor Baru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway would be stopped beginning Jan 1 this year.
Halim said the building of the Pan-Borneo Highway was a promise the Federal Government made long ago and was about to see fruition under Najib’s administration.
He said the government had provided more amenities for the people, as well as making transportation affordable for rakyat.
“This is an important fact. It is not ‘dedak’, but the government’s effort to ease the burden of rakyat. The spirit of wassatiyah, or moderation, under this administration shows that it is a responsible one that does not want the people to be burdened while it pursues development.”
Malay Consultative Council economics bureau chairman Dr Hasan Hamzah said the Najib administration prioritised balance in its policies.
He said many quarters wanted all toll collection stopped, but the government had decided to do so in stages.
He said this was because there were other considerations to be taken into account, such as the cost of maintenance and agreements with the concessionaires.
“I see the transformation brought by the government as prioritising a healthy distribution of ‘wealth’ and a breaking-up of the monopoly held by certain groups, in stages. This is different from previous administrations, which prioritised the interests of one side and disregarded others.”