JOHOR BARU: Putrajaya should just allocate RM10bil directly to the Johor government to take over and implement the Elevated Autonomous Rapid Transit (E-ART), if the federal government cannot give a firm commitment to get the crucial project started, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
The Ayer Hitam MP said that if the federal government cannot provide a firm timeline, cannot issue the Letter of Award (LOA) and cannot demonstrate the urgency required, then it should provide the allocation to Johor and allow the state government to move this project forward.
“Johor understands its own traffic needs better, knows where the major congestion points are and knows what must be done before the Rapid Transit System (RTS) begins operations.
“Therefore, I propose that the federal government allocate at least RM10bil, or up to RM16.8bil for future expansion, similar to the allocation provided for the Penang LRT project,” he said in a statement.
He added that as a Johor lawmaker, he was deeply disappointed by the lack of clear explanations and the absence of urgency shown by the Transport Ministry regarding the Johor E-ART project.
“This is not an ordinary infrastructure project. The Johor Baru–Singapore RTS Link is scheduled to begin operations in January 2027.
“Once it starts, JB Sentral will become one of the most important passenger movement hubs in the country. That is why the E-ART project is so critical,” he said, adding that without an efficient public transport dispersal system, Johor Baru risks facing even worse congestion.
He added that unfortunately, until today, there were still no clear answers on the matter.
“Even when the Johor Mentri Besar raised simple and direct questions on Tuesday about when will the project start, when will the LOA be issued, when will physical works begin and when will operations commence, the Transport Minister was still unable to provide any clear answers.
“Instead, he merely stated that the project is not under the Transport Ministry’s tender process and falls under the Public-Private Partnership Unit (Ukas),” he added.
Dr Wee said that the Transport Minister had failed to answer the fundamental question of “when” and appeared to shift responsibility to the Prime Minister’s Department under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“This is not good enough. This is a public transport project. The Transport Ministry cannot simply wash its hands of the matter and pass responsibility to another agency.
“If Penang can already begin construction after receiving strong federal support for the Mutiara Line LRT project with a budget ceiling of RM16.8bil, then Johor must also be treated fairly,” he stressed.
Dr Wee added that this was not about politics but about the daily lives of Johoreans and the future economic growth of the state.
He added that the people of Johor paid taxes too.
“Johor contributes significantly to the national economy. Johor deserves the same seriousness, priority, fair treatment, and commitment from the federal government,” he added.
On Tuesday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke during the launch of a rail service attended by Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, only reiterated the federal government’s support for Johor’s plans, saying the project was currently being evaluated by the Public Private Partnership Unit (Ukas) under a public-private partnership model.
Loke said the E-ART system, which would operate on dedicated lanes and elevated guideways, was expected to play an important role in strengthening Johor Baru’s public transport ecosystem and complement efforts to disperse traffic once the RTS Link begins operations.
