PUTRAJAYA: The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project can only be revived if there is full participation from the private sector in the project, as the government has other pending issues to focus on now, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
According to the Prime Minister, the government has its limitations, as it is focussing on addressing pressing issues presently on poverty, flood mitigation, education, basic infrastructure, healthcare and among others.
“That will be our priority for the next two years. So, mega-projects have to be deferred because of our commitment to settle some outstanding issues.
“We are also still waiting for some promising and positive contribution by the participation of the private sector to proceed.
“There have been proposals. But, it will only happen if we have full participation of the private sector, with very minimal government involvement,” said Anwar after welcoming Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, who is on a two-day official visit, at Perdana Putra on Tuesday (Jan 7).
Wong, who spoke earlier, said it was unfortunate that the original HSR project could not proceed.
“But, we are open to listening to new proposals from the Malaysian side, starting from a clean slate.
“From our point of view, greater connectivity between the two countries is always a plus.” said Wong.
The HSR project was terminated in 2021 after both countries failed to agree on changes proposed by Malaysia.
On July 20, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said negotiations with Singapore on the HSR project can only start after the Cabinet makes a policy decision on the feasibility of the RM100bil project by the end of last year.
Originally scheduled to launch in 2026, the HSR project aims to slash travel time between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore from around four hours by road to just 90 minutes by rail.
Meanwhile, Wong said Singapore supports Malaysia’s chairmanship of Asean this year, as it is even more important now for the 11-member regional grouping to be more integrated and united.
“The greater competition we face now is between us in Asean and outside of this region.
“Everyone is trying to anchor major projects now, where the big economies are talking about re-shoring, on-shoring, near-shoring - they want big projects to be near to them.
“So, Asean has to come together to look at ways on enhancing our value proposition and be competitive together,” said Wong.
Wong said Malaysia and Singapore can form an important foundation for a stronger Asean and that is why the announcement of the special economic zone on Tuesday (Jan 7) is a crucial building block to a more integrated Asean.
“We hope that with Malaysia’s stewardship (of Asean), we can make good progress,” said Wong.
Commenting on Asean, Anwar said he agreed with Wong that an emphasis should be placed on the Asean grouping this year.
“The main focus is on the importance of strengthening our fundamentals as a region and strategic position to address new players and the new uncertain geopolitical demands,” added Anwar.
Malaysia officially assumed the Asean chairmanship on Jan 1 this year, under the theme of “Inclusivity and Sustainability”, reflecting the country’s aspirations to foster a unified and prosperous Asean.
