Works Minister Baru Bian told the Dewan Rakyat today that the government would have to fork out some RM400 billion for the move, adding that this could only be done when the country’s finances were stabilised.
“The government will continue efforts to fulfil its promises in the Pakatan Harapan (PH) manifesto, including the abolition of highway tolls, but we admit that it is not easy to implement due to the pressures on the government’s finances,” he said, referring to the PH manifesto pledge to abolish tolls.
Jalaluddin Alias (BN-Jelebu) slammed the move, saying the PH government was not serious about making good on its election pledges.
However, the minister replied that the new government had never pledged to do away with highway tolls within the first 100 days of taking over Putrajaya.