The Balakong Toll Plaza should be dismantled as there is already a toll plaza at Hulu Langat 9 ms  and there  should not be more than one toll plaza for the Cheras-Kajang Highway

(Kuala Lumpur, Sunday): The fifth nation-wide toll plazas protests is being held on the eve of the Anti-Toll Protest Public Meeting  organised by the Coalition Against Toll at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall tomorrow night.

Representatives  from various political parties and NGOs will speak at the anti-toll protest public meeting, including Dr. Chandra Muzaffar and Irene Fernandez.

The Coalition Against Toll had originally intended to hold a Mammoth Anti-Toll Protest Public Rally at Bukit Jalil Stadium on Friday, February 26 and RM2,500 deposit had already been paid and acknowledged, and we had expected 30,000 to 40,000 people from all over the country to gather at the rally to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and the Cabinet public protest against unfair highway privatisation, unfair highway tolls and unfair highway toll rate increases.

There was a conspiracy however among the instruments of government to frustrate the holding of the mammoth anti-toll protest public rally, and the Bukit Jalil Stadium authorities returned the RM2,500 cheque on the ground that the stadium would not be available as it would be under renovation.

We have however caught the Bukit Jalil stadium authorities red-handed in a most dishonest ploy, as the DAP MP for Cheras, Tan Kok Wai, had made a surprise check on the Bukit Jalil Stadium on Friday, and found that there had been no renovation work whatsoever.

Malaysians are very disappointed that the  Cabinet had disregarded their views and demands and approved  another round of toll rate increases for four expressways effective from tomorrow, and cannot accept these toll rate increases for  four reasons:
 

• Imposing an unacceptable burden on the people at a time of economic hardships with still no light at the end of the  tunnel as far as economic recovery is concerned.
• Disregarding the voice of the people against another round of highway toll rate increases until there is a comprehensive  review of the highway privatisation programme and highway tolls by a Highways Consultative Council as demanded  by  Malaysians in the past few weeks throughout the country, especially at the Sunday nation-wide toll plazas protests.
• The Cabinet approval of another RM200 million to four expressway concession companies this year is against the  "user pays" principle of highway privatisation and extends the injustice of the unfair highway tolls to non-motorists and  non-users of the expressways, such as farmers and fishermen in other states.
• Continued lack of accountability and transparency with regard to the  highway privatisation contracts which make it impossible for political parties, NGOs and the Malaysian public to evaluate the propriety, legitimacy or even the fairness of the tolls or toll rate increases or compensations paid to the toll-road companies  from public funds. 
  
  

(28/2/99)