Umno Youth slams decision to terminate HSR project

PETALING JAYA: Umno Youth is disappointed by the decision to terminate the High Speed Rail (HSR) link connecting Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

"The cancellation of a high-impact infrastructure project which has a multiplier effect is a step back and 'counter-productive' in the efforts to revive the economy post Covid-19.

"The Malaysian government's action is a big blunder early because it goes against the current trend of economic development seen in neighbouring countries," Umno Youth chief Datuk Dr Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki (pic) said in a Facebook post on Saturday (Jan 2).

He said the country would lose out on an estimated RM209bil in gross national income (GNI) and a potential of 70,000 jobs lost.

Dr Asyraf added that the cancellation of the HSR would affect the big vision to transform the country towards becoming a high-income nation that would have been enjoyed with the opening of new development clusters along the HSR line.

He said that the HSR was a key benchmark for progress and development in Asean, and if it was implemented, would have been the first high-speed rail link to cross borders in the region.

"Umno Youth wants the government to give more solid reasons than the simple Covid-19 excuse," he said, adding that they wanted the government to clarify news that the project will be replaced by another HSR project that will end in Johor Baru with the same cost.

On Friday (Jan 1), both Malaysia and Singapore announced the termination of the project after they could not come to an agreement with proposed changes by Malaysia.

The HSR was targeted to be up and running by 2026 and was expected to cut travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to just 90 minutes.

The HSR line was to stretch 350km, with 335km in Malaysia and 15km in Singapore.