Idiotic Remarks (1)

"The decision to maintain toll charges at the four routes was made because these are used daily by people from all walks of life. The government does not want to burden them. That's why we agreed to pay RM242m as compensation to the concessionaires"

Samy Vellu on why toll charges on 4 major highways are not increased.

On why tolls on 7 other "minor" highways were increased, Samy reasoned that "the routes would have higher toll rates as traffic on them were less as they were not widely used compared with the other highways"

Both excerpts from New Straits Times, Thursday, 29 November 2007.

I would just like to comment as follows:

Statement No. 1 - No toll increase but government pay RM242 million.
Where does the government get the RM240m? Is it not from the rakyat? so we ended up paying also. At least if the toll is collected only those who use the roads got to pay, now everyone have got to pay. Moreover, the toll concessionaires do not have to do any extra work, just collect RM242m.

Statement No. 2 - Toll increased because traffic is low.
How come when traffic is low toll is increased but when traffic is high there is no provision for the tolls not to be increased? I'm sure traffic at the major highways have exceeded initial projections judging by the daily jams on these roads.

Does the government seriously think that those using the N-S Highway will not increase the prices of their products because the tolls were subsidized by the rakyat?

Every few years we will be talking about the toll increase and people get riled up for a while. In the end the debate will always be whether the rakyat should pay (through increase in toll charges) or the rakyat should pay (through subsidy by the government). So, the rakyat will always be in a lose-lose situation. There is absolutely no effort made to take another look at the privatisation agreement. Just because there is a provision for a rate increase we MUST do it. Why not look at the traffic volume, or their maintenance costs. Just because some idiots decided to take the rakyat for a ride when the agreements were drawn up we have to continue to be idiots for the next 30 years.

Idiots ... sometimes I'm convinced we are the bigger idiots because we continuously choose them to take us for a long ride and we are paying for it.