Azmin Ali has claimed victory in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s decision to freeze and abolish the tolls for several highways today, saying that it was a concession on the part of the prime minister that Pakatan Rakyat’s reform proposals are workable.
The PKR deputy president also suggested that Najib’s refusal to participate in a debate over the latter’s allegations that the Pakatan Rakyat reforms would bankrupt the country is another sign of admission on the part of the prime minister.
“Now that the prime minister has quietly conceded on the practicality and economic viability of Buku Jingga’s promises, I can fully understand his refusal to take up the challenge for a debate with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim,” said Azmin (picture).
The Buku Jingga is the document which contains Pakatan Rakyat’s proposed reforms if it succeeds in taking over Putrajaya.
Najib had earlier this month dismissed the Pakatan Rakyat proposals, which include the abolishment of highway tolls, as “too good to be true”, which had elicited a challenge to debate from Anwar.
The prime minister announced today that there will be no toll increase for the next five years at the Karak and East Coast Phase One highways and the toll for the East-West link highway at the Salak and Taman Connaught interchange in Kuala Lumpur is expected to be abolished in May.
Azmin said he welcomed the decision but urged Najib to “come clean” and pledge that there will be no form of “backdoor compensation” to the concessionaries whether in terms of formal payment or informal awarding of other projects.
He also criticised Najib for not bringing the matter to Parliament for debate.
“Any decision of that could have created financial impacts to the public purse such as this should have been brought and discussed in the Dewan Rakyat; not unilaterally decided by the prime minister,” said Azmin.
The Gombak MP also urged the federal government to implement the rest of the promises in the Buku Jingga, especially the abolishment of the Internal Security Act.
“PKR will continue to monitor and support any decisions based on Buku Jingga that ultimately benefit the rakyat,” said Azmin.
