Press Statement by MCA Deputy President Dato’ Dr Mah Hang Soon

Game changer: Highway tolls no longer “highway robberies” but “catalysts”

It wasn’t that long ago when DAP still wailed to the narrative of how highway tolls were like “highway robberies” that stole from the people. Now when they finally hold the power to make a change,  not only are tolls unabolished, Deputy Speaker Nga Kor Ming jubilantly went to launch a brand new toll plaza.

An apology is owed to both the people, and the man he used to be prior to May 9th, 2018.

Days ago, while officiating the launch of a toll station of the West Coast Expressway, Nga declared that it would be a “game changer” and a “catalyst of development” for all coastal towns in Perak. I constantly find myself at awe at how gargantuan a change Nga’s beliefs must have undergone since rising into a position of power to mouth something as contradictory as that.

DAP’s one-eighty with tolls demonstrates how they had let power get to their head, and they are quickly depleting their reserve of credibility. I urge them to at least try to have the courage to answer these four questions:  

1. Why are tolls “highway robberies” before DAP won the general election, and suddenly a “catalyst for development”after?  

2. Why do Pakatan Harapan not scrap any toll, but construct new toll stations when their manifesto explicitly pledges to abolish highway tolls?

3. Tony Pua, political secretary to the Finance Minister, previously asserted that the acquisition of all toll concessionaires in the country would only set the government back RM25billion. So, what is taking Pakatan Harapan so long in adopting Tony’s proposal to resolve the toll issue once and for all?

4. During the campaigning period of Semenyih by-election, Pakatan Harapan seemingly out of nowhere announced that they are negotiating with Gamuuda Berhad the terms to acquire four highway concessions, replacing highway tolls as congestion charges. Why have we not heard a word of update or progress since then?

Dato’ Dr Mah Hang Soon
MCA Deputy President

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