Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) has urged public transport operators and other stakeholders to stage protests against the drastic toll hike at the Johor Bahru Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex which is the gateway to Singapore.

 

"Johor SAMM urges affected public transportation operators, workers and stakeholders to keep protesting the decision... to teach the concessionaire and government a lesson until they listen," said the group's Johor coordinator Mohd Azrol Ab Rahani.

 

The call comes as Putrajaya pushes through with the 470 percent hike despite strong opposition from various quarters.

 

On the first day of the hike yesterday, traffic at the CIQ was clogged for more than three hours since 5am as some factory bus drivers refused to pay the toll.

 

Mohd Azrol said he agreed with imposing charges on foreign vehicles entering Johor but not through this toll as it affects all Malaysians.

 

He questioned whether the federal government was out to stifle development in the state with the drastic toll hike and urged the Johor Palace to intervene. 

 

'Impose VEP, not toll'

 

Last month, the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) announced the outbound toll charge at the CIQ for cars would be RM6.80 and inbound would be RM9.70, making a round trip cost RM16.50. 

 

In contrast previously, inbound cars were only charged RM2.90 while there was no outbound charge.

 

Meanwhile, Senai state assemblyperson Wong Shu Qi ( right ) asked the government to clarify whether the revised toll fee, seen as an indirect way to charge for the Eastern Dispersal Link, is also an attempt to retaliate at Singapore's Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) fee hike.

 

Singapore early last month announced its VEP imposed on foreign vehicles including Malaysia would be raised from S$20 (RM50) to S$35 (RM90) per day.

 

Wong said if Putrajaya wanted to respond to Singapore, it should impose its own VEP on foreign vehicles instead of the toll hike.

 

"With current toll hike...(the) government and its crony are robbing (our) own people by reducing their monthly disposable income," she said in a statement today.

 

'Broken promise'

 

Echoing this was DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang who called on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to defer the hike pending public consultation.

 

He slammed the unusually swift hike which was announced on July 26 and implemented six days later.

 

Lim ( left ) said attempting to indirectly charge for the EDL at the CIQ complex, which links the CIQ to the North South Expressway (NSE), meant that Najib was breaking his 2012 promise to keep the expressway free.

 

He added that majority of people who cross the Johor Causeway to Singapore do not use the EDL to reach the CIQ.

 

"(Also), some 80 percent of the 22,000 vehicles utilising the EDL daily do not cross over to Singapore at all," he said.

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