MP: Disclose MOU on high-speed rail link with S’pore

PETALING JAYA: PKR lawmaker Wong Chen has called on Prime Minister Najib Razak to disclose to the public the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the high-speed rail link (HSR) that Malaysia signed with Singapore.

In a statement, Wong Chen said a high level of transparency and accountability was needed as the HSR was a mega project, estimated to cost taxpayers some RM50 billion.

“At the core of my demand for transparency of the MoU is the important question regarding the share of the infrastructure cost by Malaysia and Singapore.”

The Kelana Jaya MP singled out a paragraph of the joint press release by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA), in which it said both governments had agreed to take responsibility for developing, constructing and maintaining civil infrastructure and stations within their own countries.

However, he pointed out that Singapore’s portion of the HSR infrastructure represented only 4% of the entire line although it stood to gain at least 50% of the HSR’s economic benefits, if not more.

“The towns of Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat and Nusa Jaya will most likely end up becoming bedroom communities to the Singapore economy,” he said, in reference to the towns in which the HSR will have its stations.

A bedroom community is a suburban community or town which has a large number of commuters among its home-owning population with little to no major employment centres to call its own.

Wong Chen said Singapore would be able to tap the workforce from these towns and, therefore, gain a lot more economically, while Malaysia, that will pay 96% of the costs of the line, will be lucky if it could gain 50% of the economic benefits.

“I, therefore, urge Najib Razak to immediately disclose the terms of the MoU and state whether we are legally bound by the arrangement that each country will bear its own infrastructure costs in its own territory.

“If this arrangement is binding, then we need Najib to explain why the extreme generosity to Singapore and answer why he relinquished our national interests?”

Wong Chen also called on Najib to recuse himself from further HSR negotiations in light of the ongoing investigations and cases related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad in Singapore.

He called for Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to take over the next stage of negotiations and for a parliamentary caucus to be formed to monitor and assess the project.

Yesterday, Malaysia and Singapore inked the MoU at a signing ceremony, attended by Najib and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

According to SPAD, the MoU captures the key points of the agreement on the project, including the technical parameters, commercial model, Customs, Immigration & Quarantine (CIQ) clearance, safety and security matters, regulatory framework, as well as project management.