The recent reminder by Works Minister S Samy Vellu that highway tolls will have to be increased soon doesn't make sense. Does the government's toll agreements with the toll concessionaires provide an iron-clad guarantee that they will make consistently good profits over the duration of the toll agreement?

Why is there so much secrecy around the toll agreements? To avoid unfair insinuation and aspersion on government officials and the minister given the task of making the agreement with the concessionaires, would it not be proper and transparent that those agreements to be made public so that we can see if everything is above board?

The public perception is that the agreements are one-sided and this perception is quite right. Why must the government give a guarantee that compensation will be paid to the concessionaire if toll is not allowed to increase after a certain number of years?

Going by logic, the number of vehicles would increase every year and by that assumption, toll would also correspondingly increase. If that is the case, then why the necessity for an increase in toll or the need to compensate the concessionaire?

The increase in the number of vehicles would have adequately compensated the concessionaire without the need for any increase in the toll.

I doubt the public would accept any toll increase in the absence of any proper disclosure of the reasons for such an increase.