The Malaysian Insider – 2 hours 5 minutes agoRELATED CONTENT
- Causeway toll hike is ‘penny wise, pound foolish’, says Sarawak minister
Putrajaya was not looking at the bigger picture when it decided on the astronomical toll hike at the Johor Causeway, said a Sarawak minister, in questioning the decision that has caused hardship to Malaysians working in Singapore.
Sarawak Land Development Minister, Tan Sri Dr James Masing, said the toll hike by Putrajaya was akin to the saying “penny wise, pound foolish”.
He said the country stands to gain more by giving Malaysians who work in Singapore easy access to the island republic.
“They are bringing in foreign exchange, the money earned in Singapore will be spent in Malaysia,” he said in joining the chorus of protest on the sharp increase.
Umno lawmakers in Johor have also criticised the move, with Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed calling the hike to be postponed pending further analysis, as it would burden Johoreans working in Singapore.
"I don't understand the rationale for the toll hike that is clearly going to burden the people in Johor who work in Singapore, when they still have to go through heavy traffic on a daily basis," Nur Jazlan had said.
Johor Baru MP, Datuk Seri Shahrir Samad also weighed in on the issue, suggesting that buses and taxis be exempted from paying toll at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex to encourage more people to use public transportation to commute between Johor Baru and Singapore, as well as to reduce traffic congestion at the Causeway.
Observers say the toll hike could affect Umno's performance in future elections in Johor, the party's birthplace. The Malaysian Highway Authority, which announced the hike on July 26, has not been able to explain the reason for the move.
The new toll rates will see a 469% hike for private cars, 453% hike for small lorries, 446% hike for heavy lorries, 486% hike for taxis and 478% hike for buses.
Masing (pic, left), with his mind on the thousands of Dayaks now living in Johor, many of whom work in Singapore, said there should not even be a policy to discourage Singapore cars from coming to Johor.
He said most of them come to do their shopping, bringing in more foreign exchange.
“Any additional increase of toll on Singapore cars coming to Johor will only discourage them from shopping in Malaysia.
“Putrajaya needs to mull over this matter seriously. We must learn to look at the bigger picture.
“Malaysians like to cut their nose to spite their face,” he said.
DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang had earlier urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to defer the hike pending proper public consultation.
He also questioned Putrajaya's haste in implementing the new toll rates.
When the new rates went into effect on Friday, stage buses transporting factory workers from Johor Baru refused to continue their journey into Singapore, forcing scores of Malaysian factory workers to walk across the Causeway. – August 4, 2014.
