Takeover of highway concessionaires was our policy, says PH

PETALING JAYA: The takeover of the four concessionaires with highways in the Klang Valley was first mooted by the Pakatan Harapan government in 2019, the opposition coalition said today.

PH’s presidential council said the government’s announcement yesterday on the matter was the result of an effort the coalition initiated in October 2019, when its Cabinet decided to commence the process of taking over the four highways.

“Therefore, what was announced (yesterday) is a PH policy which (later administrations) continued to the end,” it said in a statement.

“This proves that if PH continued to govern for more than 22 months and the Sheraton Move did not happen, various policies that would have been able to help the people would have been implemented.”

Works minister Fadillah Yusof said a new non-profit company, Amanat Lebuhraya Rakyat Bhd (ALR), will take over the four concessionaires.

PH urged Putrajaya to further discount the toll rates for users of the four highways following the takeover of the concessionaires.

It said that in 2019, the PH government had already planned to make the highways toll-free for 16 hours in a day and give a 30% discount for the remaining eight hours.

It also urged Putrajaya to give a comprehensive explanation on ALR in Parliament, particularly on the non-profit’s ownership, fiscal responsibility and spending.

The joint statement was signed by PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, Amanah president Mohamad Sabu, DAP secretary-general Loke Siew Fook and Upko president Wilfred Madius Tangau. — Free Malaysia Today