JOHOR BARU: Johor may develop the Elevated Autonomous Rapid Transit (E-ART) system on its own if the Federal government returns 25% of the tax revenue generated by the state, says caretaker Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
He said Johor contributes between RM20bil and RM30bil annually to the Federal government through various forms of revenue such as income tax, stamp duties, and customs duties.
"If the Federal government returns 25% of that amount, as proposed by Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, then perhaps we can consider implementing the project ourselves.
"At the moment, we only receive about RM2.6bil a year," he said during a special interview at his official residence in Saujana here on Wednesday (June 17).
Asked whether the state government could carry out the project if the Federal government allocated RM10bil to Johor, as suggested by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, Onn Hafiz said he would need to study the figures in greater detail.
"He (Dr Wee) is more experienced as he was previously the Transport Minister. I do not have the breakdown of the costs, so I do not dare to comment," he said.
Onn Hafiz also reiterated the need to expedite the E-ART project to avoid severe traffic congestion once the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link between Johor and Singapore begins operations.
"I have repeatedly raised this matter with Putrajaya because whatever measures we are implementing now are only short-term solutions.
"They will not be sufficient once the RTS Link has matured in a year or two, when we expect about 10,000 people to be entering and exiting every hour. That is going to pose a major challenge for us.
"The minister said the project is currently under the Public-Private Partnership Unit (Ukas). So I hope the Cabinet can expedite the approval process since the minister is also a member of the Cabinet and they meet every week," he said.
Onn Hafiz also noted that he and members of the state executive council have often stepped in to help Federal agencies whenever urgent issues arise.
"Whether it is me or my colleagues, if there is no movement on a matter and the situation is too urgent for us to wait, we will step in.
"Sometimes there are bureaucratic processes and red tape that can slow things down when action needs to be taken.
"That is why I like having a small allocation that I can use to assist and speed things up. That is my intention because, at the end of the day, even if these policemen are not originally from Johor, they are serving the people of Johor," he said, referring to allocations given by the state to help remedy quarters.
Asked whether he was satisfied with the improvements made at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complexes, which he had championed throughout his tenure as Mentri Besar, Onn Hafiz said despite the improvements there was still room for improvement.
"There have been many significant changes and major improvements. However, there are still areas that we need to look into, especially during festive seasons and long weekends.
"Sometimes I still see system glitches. Those issues need to be addressed immediately. This is the busiest border crossing in the country and it cannot operate like that,” he said, adding that another area that could be improved is the maintenance of the buildings and facilities.
When asked whether Malaysians working in Singapore would vote for Barisan Nasional, Onn Hafiz said he would leave it to them to decide based on the state government's track record.
"I do not know, but I think those who work in Singapore know me and have seen me quite often because I have spent a lot of time there, including early in the mornings, helping to resolve their issues.
"I am not demanding anything. I only hope they will make the right decision. If they give me that mandate, I will continue fighting for them regardless of whether they work in Singapore or Johor."
