Prime Minister Najib Razak said people who do not use the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) will not be required to pay toll.

He said an announcement would be made in two weeks after several technical issues had been resolved.

"Those who do not use the EDL should not be required to pay toll. We will resolve this issue. Do not worry, we hear the people's grievances," he said at a 1Malaysia dinner attended by 10,000 people of various races in Johor Baru.

Also present at the dinner were Najib's wife, Rosmah Mansor, Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman, MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek and Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon.

Najib said the matter was discussed at a recent meeting of the National Economic Consultative Council which was attended also by representatives from the state government.

It was reported that Malaysians and Singaporeans who use the EDL daily would have to pay RM15.30 in toll at the booth at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex.

It was also reported that the toll would be imposed also on motorists who enter the CIQ although they do not use the EDL, raising complaints from road users in the state.

Najib also said that many development projects planned for Johor can only be implemented if the Barisan Nasional is given a fresh mandate to administer the state.

He said that in the present economic situation, the country needed a government with experience and a good track record to steer it towards continued development.

"This is not the time to gamble with the future," he said.

- Bernama