This, after Johari, said last week that no compensation would be involved, following Prime Minister Najib Razak’s announcement on the four tolls – two in Selangor and one each in Kedah and Johor – were to be abolished from next year, when tabling Budget 2018 last Friday.
Appearing in a special Q&A programme on Budget 2018, that was aired on TV3 on Wednesday, Johari said the government would have to pay some RM102 million a year in compensation to PLUS Malaysia Berhad for the remainder of the concession period of 20 years, to cover the annual estimated revenue from the total collection at the Batu Tiga and Sg Rasau tolls.
An estimated RM16 million will also be paid per year to abolish the Bukit Kayu Hitam toll in Kedah, also owned by PLUS, and MRCB’s Eastern Dispersal Link toll in Johor.
Wong, who is the Kelana Jaya MP, told FMT that Johari’s revelation confirmed that there was no such thing as a “free lunch” in Najib’s budget.
“What is unacceptable is to announce the toll being abolished during the budget speech and then only six days later explain how it will be paid.
“Compensating toll operators means that all Malaysian taxpayers have to pay so that a select few who use these two tolls can use it for free.”
He added that Najib’s announcement was clearly an attempt to win over voters in Selangor, but at the expense of all taxpayers.
Elaborating on Pakatan Harapan’s own plan to abolish tolls, Wong said the opposition pact had a clear idea of executing its plan in a feasible manner.
“But what needs to be done first is declassify existing concession agreements under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), crunch the numbers and engage merchant bankers to work it out,” he said, adding Pakatan Harapan will be unveiling a detailed FAQ on the matter soon.
Meanwhile, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, who had previously urged Putrajaya to reveal the cost of abolishing the four tolls, said it was incumbent upon the federal government to declassify and make public existing toll concession agreements.
“Clearly, if agreements are made normally as in other countries, we won’t be stuck like this. The people are at the wrong end of the stick and there’s hardly any political will to push back against profiteering concessionaires.”
The Lembah Pantai MP said that roads and highways should be treated as public goods rather than tools for profiteering.
“I demand the finance ministry disclose in entirety the flaws inherent in all agreements and their corrective measures to ensure the abolishing of tolls is not at the expense of taxpayers.”