Call on Kamunting Corporation Bhd, which made RM275 million net profit
from the 16-year Jalan Kuching toll concession, to give a full public
statement of its accounts and state how many tens of millions of ringgit
donations it gave to Barisan Nasional component parties during the whole
period
Media Statement
by Lim Kit Siang
(Petaling Jaya, Monday):
In 1999, the seven-year extension of the Jalan Kuching toll concession till
January 2003 to Kamunting Corporation Bhd. after its original nine-year
concession 1987-1996 without any road upgrading was a centerpiece of the
anti-toll protests spearheaded by the Coalition Against Toll (CAT).
CAT was established by political parties and NGOs including DAP, DAPSY,
Wanita DAP, Parti Rakyat, PAS, ADIL, ABIM, Perak Consumers' Association,
Selangor Consumers' Association, Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall Youth, MTUC
and others.
As Chairman of CAT in 1999, I can state that the anti-toll protest at the
Jalan Kuching toll on February 7, 1999 was one of the hightlights of the
1999 anti-toll protest campaign, participated by Malaysians from all
political parties (but confined only to the Opposition), regardless of race
or religion at the unjustied toll imposition burdening all Malaysians,
whether Malays, Chinese or Indians.
In the nine years from 1987 to 1996, when Kamunting Corporation Bhd.
incurred RM60 million for the original construction and another RM14 million
for road upgrade work, the concessionaire collected RM183 million toll.
Parliament was informed in October last year that in the seven-year
extension until August last year, Kamunting Corporation Bhd. had collected
another RM144.5 million from toll.
At the average of RM1.4 million a month toll collection, Kamunting
Corporation Bhd. would have collected about RM350 million for the whole
16-year toll concession when it ends at midnight tomorrow, Tuesday, 7th
January 2003.
This would mean that Kamunting Corporation would have made some RM275
million net profit for the entire concession period of 16 years or RM17
million a year for 16 years from Jalan Kuching toll - just collecting money
from the public at the toll plaza.
DAP calls on Kamunting Corporation to give a full public statement of its
accounts for the entire concession period, which should also state how many
tens of millions of ringgit donations it gave to Barisan Nasional component
parties during the whole period.
It is outrageous that the MCA in the Federal Territory is planning a
fireworks celebrations countdown for the end of the Jalan Kuching toll
tomorrow, when the MCA had done nothing to support the anti-toll public
campaign in the past 16 years.
The people who should be at Jalan Kuching toll plaza to mark its termination
are ordinary Malaysians from all races who had supported the anti-toll
campaign all these years, in particular those who in 1999 came together to
support the Coalition Against Toll and articulate the public protest at the
injustice of the extension of the Jalan Kuching toll.
Together with members and supporters of the Coalition Against Toll of 1999
which spearheaded the anti-toll campaign that year, I will revisit the Jalan
Kuching Toll plaza at 11 pm tomorrow to mark the countdown of its
termination, which should be a source of inspiration for the people to
continue their pressure for greater government sensitivity and
responsiveness to public demands to end the oppression of tolls not only in
the Federal Territory, but in the rest of the country.
(6/1/2003)
*
Lim Kit Siang, DAP National
Chairman
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