In an interview with Singapore’s Sunday Times published today, the former prime minister had said if the opposition formed the government, it would need to study the feasibility of the project and whether Malaysia really needed it.
“We need to do a study whether it is feasible or not because we don’t have the money and we have to borrow money and that is not something the Malaysian government can bear at this moment,” said Mahathir.
PKR’s Wong Chen said today when contacted by FMT: “If we win the elections, we will review the agreement and the economics of the HSR project to see if it’s overpriced.
“If it’s unfair, we will pursue a legal position in dealing with unconscionable projects.
“But, if the contract is fair, we will honour the agreement. That is the basic principle of signing to any agreement.”
Wong, who’s MP for Kelana Jaya, pointed out that the opposition’s major problem with the 350 km HSR project, is the burden of the construction cost which Malaysia has to bear.
Malaysia will account for 335km, while Singapore is set to bear 15km of the building cost on its turf.
“If we end up spending 95% of the construction cost, that is a terrible deal for Malaysia. In short, the burden has to be fairly shared between the two countries,” Wong said.
Meanwhile, DAP lawmaker Charles Santiago told FMT that he agreed that the HSR project should be reviewed.
Santiago said the opposition must also review – if it comes to power – the other mega-projects such as the RM55-billion East Coast Rail Link and the RM200-billion Carey Island Port project.
“We are not opposed to mega-projects but we must ensure we can afford them and that these projects are transparent, viable and actually needed,” he said.
Santiago, the Klang MP, said the HSR would cost so much when there were already many options for travellers to go to Singapore.
He claimed a number of the billion ringgit projects appeared to be “fund raising projects” for certain political parties. He said this was why it was important for such projects to have an open and transparent tender process.
Last month, Malaysia and Singapore inked the HSR agreement. Both countries will jointly award the tender for a Joint Development Partner for the HSR, which is expected to cost up to RM50 billion.
The HSR construction is set to begin early next year and the system is expected to be operational by 2026.
The rail line will significantly reduce travel time between the Malaysia and Singapore to just 90 minutes with speeds of over 300km/hour.