I refer to the Malaysiakini report Longer toll discount hours requested .

I urge the federal government to discuss further with 24 road toll concessionaires to reduce the toll rates suitably instead of the early morning packages of 10% reductions such as by Plus.

Once the concessionaires reveal their contracts with the federal government, the people, especially MPs and members of consumer associations, must try to understand the contents and come up with legally acceptable proposals.

Parliament should get its caucuses to pore over these documents, looking for ways to relieve the people of their toll burden.

The North-South Highway concessionaire, Plus, has offered an early morning discount of 10% on toll for road users and a 5% reduction for those who pay over RM200 per month. This offer benefits only those who use the highway between 12 midnight and 7 am.

We have been debating road tolls in the house for over 20 years when the privatisation of the North-South Highway was first mooted by the federal government.

DAP objected to the privatisation and took the matter to court; three supreme court judges voted against DAP and two supported. When the government won the case in 1987, DAP leaders were in the ‘Kamunting University’ (Kamunting ISA De tention Camp).

The government went ahead with the privatisation and United Engineers Malaysia (UEM) was appointed the concessionaire. When the concessionaire was in trouble, the government rescued it. Now, Plus is the concessionaire; it is a government-linked company.

We believe that unless there are special circumstances, roads should be built using public funds. This is because once a road is privatised, the concessionaire collects toll which is a burden to users over a long period.

Although a concessionaire can practice corporate responsibility, its main purpose is to make profits. If there is a repair or widening of the road, it refers to its contract with the government to increase toll rates.

The current global economic tsunami will cause a slowdown and a recession. Malaysia will not spared.

Crude oil price has fallen from US$140 to US$56 per barrel. Since Aug 23, the government has reduced the retail price of petrol five times and petrol is now RM2 per litre with diesel at RM1.90 per litre. Therefore, the price of goods including road tolls should go down accordingly.

There are many factors that influence the price of goods such as the cost of transport and import and unscrupulous operators.

Hypermarkets only reduce the price of some of their goods. But shopkeepers and petty traders face difficulties. For example, despite having imported goods bought at a high cost they are ‘persuaded’ to reduce their prices.

The writer is DAP national deputy chairperson and MP for Kepong.