The Malaysian Insight

NAJIB Razak said Pakatan Harapan’s plan to make four highways toll-free from 11pm to 5am will benefit only “drunks and LGBT”.

The former prime minister said the move will not benefit most Malaysians, who are not up and about in the wee hours.

“Only ghosts, drunks and LGBT looking for clients are not asleep,” he said, referring to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

“We go to sleep at 11pm, and if we go out for morning prayers, it would only be after 5am. Who, then, benefits from the toll-free period?” he asked a crowd of 200 at a ceramah in Semenyih last night.

Putrajaya over the weekend announced that it is in negotiations with Gamuda Bhd on the acquisition of four highways in which the company has a majority stake – Lebuhraya Damansara Puchong (LDP), Sistem Penyuraian Trafik KL Barat (Sprint), Lebuhraya Shah Alam (Kesas) and the SMART Tunnel.

Upon the highways’ takeover, the government will abolish the toll mechanism, replacing it with congestion charges that will vary between peak and non-peak periods.

Motorists will get discounts of up to 30% of current toll rates, and the roads will be toll-free from 11pm to 5am.

Najib said he abolished four tolls during his time in office, and called on Pakatan Harapan to fulfil its promise of doing away with tolls and not cheat the people.

He hit out at Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali for allegedly issuing a statement contradicting the Prime Minister’s Office on the acquisition plan.

“First, PMO said the announcement was a (formal) proposal, and then Azmin said it was just a suggestion and not final.

“How can they issue conflicting statements? It’s so weird. It’s as if they do not discuss with one another.

“When I was PM, I did not make decisions without referring to the relevant ministers or officers. What kind of administration is this?” – February 26, 2019.