The Malaysian Bar - Public should be allowed to look into content of highway agreement, says Chang

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Public should be allowed to look into content of highway agreement, says Chang

Monday, 05 January 2009 07:58am

©New Sunday Times (Used by permission)
by Brenda Lim

IPOH, PERAK, SUN: The public should be allowed to look into the contents of the highway concession agreement for the North-South Expressway, Malaysia's first, longest and most frequently used highway, said Gerakan deputy president Datuk Chang Ko Youn.

"The government should open up the agreement for all to see. Mistakes in the past have already been made. There is no harm to let people know," he told reporters after attending a talk at the state party headquarters here today.

He observed that other highway concessions were to be made public, but not the agreement with Projek Lebuhraya Utara Selatan (PLUS) for the NSE.

While acknowledging that the public were unhappy over the automatic increase in NSE toll rates every three years, Chang pointed out that the government were inexperienced in negotiating with private companies during the 1980s.

"We cannot blame the federal government. It was our first highway. In the 21st century, we no longer have terms and conditions which allow for automatic hikes," he told reporters after attending a talk at the state party headquarters here.

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