But PAS deputy president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said it agreed with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government to review the agreements related to the RM55 billion rail project, as it comes under scrutiny from Putrajaya this week.
On Thursday, Putrajaya’s Council of Elders chairman Daim Zainuddin said the ECRL project might cost an extra RM11 billion, saying the previously announced figure of RM55 billion was only for the first phase.
Tuan Ibrahim said other projects like the East Coast Expressway (LPT3), the expansion of the Kota Bharu airport, and the Central Spine Road from Pahang to Kelantan, should also go on, adding that they would ensure no state was left out.
He said the new PH government should channel federal allocations to states under opposition control, adding that there should be no “specially formed third parties”.
In 1999, when PAS came to power in Terengganu, the federal government under Dr Mahathir Mohamad appointed its own agencies in the state to channel what it terms as “wang ihsan”.
Tuan Ibrahim said he hoped Mahathir would this time not pursue the “politics of vengeance” by the previous government, and it would lead to “a new era of mature politics”.
“In line with this, PAS also hopes that all other allocations that the states are eligible to receive would be channelled without any obstruction, as provided for in the Federal Constitution,” he said.
Yesterday, Terengganu PKR chief Azan Ismail had reportedly said oil and gas royalties would not be given directly to the state administration under PAS, and that Mahathir would come up with suitable ways to ensure the people there reaped the benefit of the funds.