It will be a "blatant breach of promise" by the BN if the government pushes ahead with the proposal to raise highway toll charges across the country, former deputy higher education minister Saifuddin Abdullah said today.

"It was an election promise that we will re-look the toll charges. But if the government goes ahead (with the higher charges), it will be a blatant breach of promise, which is not good at all," Saifuddin said when met at Universiti Malaya today.

He said he hoped the government would review its position on the highway concession agreements with the toll operators, stressing that Pakatan Rakyat's arguments would lend the opposition credence if the government proceeded with higher toll charges.

"That is why some BN MPs have warned the government about this move. If we do this, whatever Pakatan has been saying all this while, that our promises are merely to win votes, will become a reality," he said.

Saifuddin also said that the government can still be in control of toll concessions and shouldn't be acceding to concessionaires request every time.

"I am of the opinion that the concession is not something that the government has no control over. I am sure there are ways and means to review, so we are not held to ransom to ocasionally raise the toll prices," he said.

He said that if the government is able to review the matter, the companies do not have to "do this every time", referring to the requests to raise toll rates.

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