Pilihan raya Kecil (PRK) Sungai Besar sekali lagi memperlihatkan kemahuan BN untuk mempertahankan kerusi kononnya atas dasar ‘kepentingan’ rakyat.
Sebaliknya, rakyat telah merasai kesempitan hidup dibawah kerajaan Najib Razak dengan kenaikan harga barang, minyak, dan GST. Undi calon BN di PRK Sungai Besar, YB Budiman tidak lain hanyalah meneruskan legasi BN, iaitu legasi mungkir janji kepada rakyat.
Diingatkan, awal tahun 2016, belum sempat rakyat menarik nafas lega menghadapi cabaran bebanan hidup pada tahun 2015, kerajaan telah mengumumkan kenaikan kadar tol di lapan buah lebuhraya di negara.Pihak kerajaan dibawah pimpinan Najib Razak akan memutuskan sama ada kadar tol dinaikkan atau membayar pampasan kepada syarikat tol hujung bulan ini[1].
Lebuhraya yang bakal dinaikan kadar tol ialah Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan (Plus), Link Kedua Malaysia-Singapura, Lebuhraya Shah Alam (Kesas), dan Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan Hubungan Tengah (Elite). Pada Januari 2016, pihak PLUS telah menaikkan kadar tol di semua lebuhraya kendaliannya. Atas sebab kelemahan dan ketidakcekapan kerajaan Persekutuan, PLUS boleh menaikkan harga kadar tol mulai tahun 2016 sebanyak 5 % setiap tiga tahun sehingga 2038.
Perjanjian yang membebankan rakyat ini bukti bahawa kerajaan Persekutuan tidak mempunyai kerangka dasar yang jitu dalam mengurangkan beban pengguna jalan raya yang merupakan pembayar cukai jalan. Ini merupakan bukti kerajaan tidak punya kredibiliti moral dan menyebabkan rakyat sekali lagi di mangsakan akibat daripada urus tadbir negara yang tempang.
Alasan yang tidak munasabah sekiranya pihak kerajaan tidak mampu membayar pampasan kepada konsesi tol sebanyak RM 2.2 billion dalam tempoh enam tahun. Di mana duit dan hasil GST? Kerajaan telah mengutip wang rakyat daripada GST sebanyak RM 27 billion pada tahun 2015[2]. Kerajaan sepatutnya menggunakan hasil GST tersebut sebagai pulangan kepada jerih perit rakyat sebagai pembayar cukai dalam bentuk menurunkan kadar harga tol.
Kami menegaskan bahawa pihak KEADILAN dan Pakatan Harapan (PH) telah mencadangkan mekanisme yang dikenali sebagai ‘first right of refusal’ dalam menyelesaikan isu kenaikan harga tol[3]. Mekanisme ini mengetengahkan bahawa pihak konsesi tol akan mendapat keutamaan untuk terlibat dalam projek lebuhraya akan datang sebagai tawaran untuk tidak menaikkan harga tol kepada pengguna lebuh raya. Cadangan ini mampu melindungi kepentingan rakyat memandangkan pihak konsesi tol diberi jaminan keuntungan munasabah untuk projek akan datang.
Pihak pembangkang kekal konsisten dengan dasar memansuhkan kadar tol secara berperingkat-peringkat berdasarkan manifesto PRU 13. Perkara ini sama sekali tidak mustahil kerana Najib Razak sendiri mengumumkan Lebuhraya Pan-Borneo sepanjang 1,090 kilometer dengan kos sebanyak RM16.1 billion akan bebas tol[4]. Lebih mengejutkan apabila pampasan kepada syarikat konsesi tol bagi tahun 2016, naik melebihi RM 500 juta[5]. Perkara ini jelas menguntungkan konsesi tol, ditambah dengan kadar kenaikan harga tol yang memperkukuhkan keuntungan konsesi.
Saya terpanggil untuk mengingatkan rakyat berkenaan tema yang dibawa oleh calon BN di P093 Sungai Besar “Meneruskan legasi BN”.
Undi kepada Budiman, calon Barisan Nasional merupakan sokongan kepada kerajaan sedia ada yang tidak menepati janji. Menjadi satu tanggungjawab moral apabila pemimpin yang dipilih oleh rakyat mempunyai keupayaan prinsip dalam mengurangkan beban rakyat. Malangnya, dengan mengundi calon Barisan Nasional, akan membuka ruang terhadap satu lagi calon yang meneruskan legasi Barisan Nasional. Iaitu legasi memungkiri janji.
[1] http://www.sinarharian.
[2] Kelapan-lapan lebuh raya berkenaan ialah Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan (Plus), Link Kedua Malaysia-Singapura, Lebuhraya Shah Alam (Kesas), dan Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan Hubungan Tengah (Elite).
[3]http://www.keadilandaily.
[4] https://www.malaysiakini.
[5]http://www.sinarharian.com.
BN: BUDIMAN PERPETUATES THE BARISAN NASIONAL LEGACY – THE LEGACY OF BROKEN PROMISES
The Sungai Besar by-elections once again reveals BN’s desire to preserve their parliamentary seats under the false pretext of defending the interests of the rakyat.
Under the governance of Prime Minister Najib Razak, the rakyat has suffered a deteriorating quality of life, what with the soaring prices of goods, fuel, and the implementation of the GST. The BN candidate at the Sungai Besar by-elections, YB Budiman, is no different and will only reinforce the BN’s legacy — of broken promises to the rakyat.
Early this year, before the rakyat even had the chance to breathe a sigh of relief from riding out the challenges of high living costs in 2015, the government announced a hike in toll fees at eight highways throughout our country. Under the leadership of Najib Razak, the government will decide whether the toll fees will be increased or if reimbursements will be paid to the toll concession companies at the end of this month.[1]
The highways that will begin charging higher toll fees include the North-South Expressway (PLUS), the Second Link Expressway, the Shah Alam Expressway (Kesas), and the North-South Expressway Central Link (Elite). In January 2016, the authorities from PLUS increased the toll fees for all the highways that it manages. Due to the weakness and inefficacy of the Federal Government, PLUS is authorised to continue to hike the toll fees at a 5 percent increment every three years until the year 2038, starting from 2016.
This demonstrates that the Federal Government does not have the political will or any substantive action to reduce the costs incurred by road users, who have already paid their dues in road taxes. This is proof that the government has lost their moral credibility, causing the rakyat to once again, be victimised by the weak governance of Barisan Nasional.
The excuse provided by the Federal Government is not reasonable if it fails to renegotiate demands by toll concessionaires to reimburse the latter as much as RM2.2 billion in a six-year period. Where are the collections from the implementation of the GST going to? In 2015, the government collected RM27 billion through its GST charges.[2] Supposedly, the government should use its GST collections to mitigate the rakyat’s burden of high living costs. This can be done by reducing the rate of toll fees for highway users, who are bound to be tax payers themselves.
Let me emphasize that KEADILAN and Pakatan Harapan (PH) have suggested a mechanism that is known as the “first right of refusal” in resolving the issue of toll hikes.[3] This mechanism proposes that the toll concession companies will receive priority to be involved in future highway projects, in exchange of not raising the toll rates for highway users. This proposal is able to defend the interests of the rakyat, given that toll concession companies are also guaranteed with reasonable profits through their involvement in upcoming projects.
The opposition coalition has been consistent with its policy to abolish the toll fees in stages, as represented in our manifesto for the 13th General Elections. This is not an impossible matter, as Najib Razak himself has announced that the Pan-Borneo Highway that spans 1,090 kilometres in length and costs RM16.1 billion will be toll-free.[4] What is more shocking is the reimbursement to the toll concessionaires for the year of 2016 which amounts to more than RM500 million.[5]
Such reimbursements clearly benefits the toll concessionaires, not to mention the hike in toll fees that will multiply their profits even further.
We feel obligated to remind the rakyat of the theme that the BN candidate at P093 Sungai Besar is upholding, that is “Preserve the BN Legacy”. A vote for Budiman, the candidate of Barisan Nasional is equivalent to a support for the incumbent government that never fulfills its promises. When a leader is elected by the rakyat, he or she has the moral responsibility to reduce the burdens of the rakyat. Unfortunately, by voting for the BN candidate, this opens more room for another candidate to perpetuate the dishonorable legacy of broken promises.
NURUL IZZAH ANWAR
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT LEMBAH PANTAI
VICE PRESIDENT & ELECTION DIRECTOR, PEOPLE’S JUSTICE PARTY (KEADILAN)
KHALID ABDUL SAMAD
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT SHAH ALAM
COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR OF AMANAH
TONY PUA
MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT PETALING JAYA UTARA
DAP NATIONAL PUBLICITY SECRETARY
[2] Kelapan-lapan lebuh raya berkenaan ialah Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan (Plus), Link Kedua Malaysia-Singapura, Lebuhraya Shah Alam (Kesas), dan Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan Hubungan Tengah (Elite).
[3]http://www.keadilandaily.
[4] https://www.malaysiakini.
[5]http://www.sinarharian.com.
