ISKANDAR PUTERI – There is no better time to revive the cancelled Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project than now to help the economy recover, a Johor state executive councillor said today.
The state’s Investment, Trade and Consumer Affairs exco Lee Ting Han said that with Malaysia falling behind Singapore in economic growth, it was timely to revisit the HSR project under a new federal administration.
The Paloh assemblyman said that Malaysia should not wait any longer to resume the megaproject worth billions.
“There is no time to lose. With the pandemic derailing our economic growth trajectory, the HSR may help to not just get us back on track but speed up our journey towards embracing the vibrant global economy,” Lee told a press conference after officiating the closing ceremony of the Belt and Road Initiative Symposium (BRI) held at Dewan Senat, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia today.
Lee said that even the new prime minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, had previously commented that the move to cancel the HSR project was a mistake.
He added that should the Anwar-led federal unity government revive the project, Johor would happily work with it to ensure the success of the infrastructure project.
“We need to look at what the Transport Ministry’s plans are, then only the state government can comment on how to collaborate, especially involving land issues.
“We hope that at the federal level, the new unity government will reconsider the viability of this project so that it would bring economic spillover, especially to Johor.”
Lee also said the project’s revival could help address the state’s property overhang.
He said that multinational companies currently based in Singapore might relocate to Johor if the project were resumed.
Malaysia and Singapore last restarted talks on reviving the HSR project in August under then prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who expressed interest in expediting the project’s revival.
The project was agreed to by both nations in 2016 but it was cancelled by the Malaysian government on January 1, 2021, following several delays resulting from changes of government starting in 2018.
The 350-km HSR project worth RM110 billion would shorten the travelling time from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore to just 90 minutes. – The Vibes, December 13, 2022
