It is ironic. Malaysians were informed that we were oversubsidized in our fuel usage and government unilaterally, urgently decided to raise the retail fuel price by 41%. This would mean more savings in these subsidies, decreasing the RM4 billion per month tab on the government. More media statements came out after that and one of it promises better usage of these savings by investing it in real alleviation of transportation woes. Though experts came out with their observations that those plans have bigger holes than the manhole without a cover, some people like me still take it at face value in intent. With this report on the RM9 reivew, it felt like a scam. It does mean that the billions saved per year from savings via petrol price increase is now being pumped into corridors. It means that the billions of ringgit ( from people) is now subsidizing the 5 corridors and not to improve transportation.
Tell me, who gets the contracts for these corridors?
It is terrible that Penang are being singled out. It is more pathetic that the rakyat is being conned to fork out more money to subsidize these cronies!!
The government will postpone the Penang Monorail and Penang Outer Ring Road (PORR) project in a major review of the 9th Malaysia Plan (9MP) despite adding another RM30 billion to the RM200 billion masterplan, officials said today.
Slashing the urban transport projects was meant to reallocate resources and mitigate soaring global crude oil prices, the officials said while briefing editors, denying it was meant to punish Penang for voting in the Opposition alliance of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) as the state government.
The briefing came a day before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tables the mid-term review of the 9MP in Parliament. Abdullah's home state is Penang where the 17km PORR expressway from Tanjung Tokong to Glugor costing RM1.5 billion has caused controversy.
The RM2 billion monorail plan, while generally welcomed by Penangites, has been criticised as one of the main bidders is Scomi Group Berhad which is partly owned by Abdullah's only son Kamaluddin.
The officials said Abdullah will speak about reviewing state projects and giving priority to people-centred projects particularly food security and housing. Some RM10 billion of the increased sum for the remainder of the plan will go to the five growth corridors promoted by Abdullah.
The government also expects growth to continue at an average of six percent until 2010 while inflation, which saw a jump to 3.8 percent in May, will average 3-4 percent for the 2008-2010 period.
- The Malaysian Insider
Tell me, who gets the contracts for these corridors?
It is terrible that Penang are being singled out. It is more pathetic that the rakyat is being conned to fork out more money to subsidize these cronies!!
The government will postpone the Penang Monorail and Penang Outer Ring Road (PORR) project in a major review of the 9th Malaysia Plan (9MP) despite adding another RM30 billion to the RM200 billion masterplan, officials said today.
Slashing the urban transport projects was meant to reallocate resources and mitigate soaring global crude oil prices, the officials said while briefing editors, denying it was meant to punish Penang for voting in the Opposition alliance of the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) as the state government.
The briefing came a day before Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tables the mid-term review of the 9MP in Parliament. Abdullah's home state is Penang where the 17km PORR expressway from Tanjung Tokong to Glugor costing RM1.5 billion has caused controversy.
The RM2 billion monorail plan, while generally welcomed by Penangites, has been criticised as one of the main bidders is Scomi Group Berhad which is partly owned by Abdullah's only son Kamaluddin.
The officials said Abdullah will speak about reviewing state projects and giving priority to people-centred projects particularly food security and housing. Some RM10 billion of the increased sum for the remainder of the plan will go to the five growth corridors promoted by Abdullah.
The government also expects growth to continue at an average of six percent until 2010 while inflation, which saw a jump to 3.8 percent in May, will average 3-4 percent for the 2008-2010 period.
- The Malaysian Insider
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