A top official thinks that the agreement to construct a cross-border MRT line connecting Singapore with Johor could significantly influence the 14th Malaysian general election, which must be held by August 2018.
According to Abdul Rahman Dahlan, the official overseeing the implementation of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link), the project will positively impact thousands of Malaysians who cross the Causeway daily.
“This is going to be a game changer for the election, for at least the people of Johor,” said the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in an interview with Channel NewsAsia.
“PM Najib is working hard to ensure they don’t have to face the four-hour jam on the Causeway and I think they’ll appreciate this. I think business people and people who have some employment on both sides (will care) and also (there’s) the feel-good feeling.”
Rahman Dahlan underscored that the 4km-long RTS Link is a result of the Prime Minister’s warm ties with Singapore, which is different from the approach taken by his predecessor Mahathir Mohamad, who is currently leading the opposition.
“We all know that under PM Najib we’ve moved so much faster and forward in terms of exploring possibilities with the government of Singapore,” he said.
“Under the previous administration of Tun Mahathir, we could not move an inch. Even though Singapore is the closest neighbour and most integrated economically, Tun Mahathir took the position of being non-cooperative and that is a shame… it’s regrettable because there’s so much to gain just by being friends with neighbours.”
Previously, the Singapore government wanted an equal stake in the RTS Link, but Malaysia insisted that there should be a major shareholder to facilitate decision-making.
“We impressed upon the Singaporeans that it’s quite difficult to make some major decisions if the equity is 50:50. So we proposed 52:48 on the basis that we have sacrificed the KTM train service (for this project),” noted Rahman Dahlan.
“I thank the Singapore negotiators. They’ve agreed that Malaysia should hold 52 percent and Singapore holds 48 percent in terms of equity. But I have assured that we will in no way trample upon their minority interest.”
When it is operational by 2024, the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link can ferry up to 10,000 passengers in both directions. This means a further 60,000 people can cross the border during peak hours.
Image sourced from Channel News Asia.
This article was edited by the editorial team of PropertyGuru. To contact them about this or other stories email editorialteam@propertyguru.com.my
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