Works Minsiter Fadillah Yusof has criticised Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for claiming that the government had deferred toll hikes for four highways due to public pressure.

Had the opposition MPs had stayed for the entirety for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s 2017 budget speech, they would have known the source of compensation for highway operators, said Fadillah.

He pointed to Paragraph 115 of Najib’s speech, which reads, "To ease the cost of living, the government will provide nearly RM10 billion for subsidy allocation. This allocation comprises of fuel subsidies including cooking gas, toll charges, and public transport."

"If Lim had not left early and if the opposition had not created a ruckus and walked-out midway to hold up placards during the Budget 2017 speech, they would have noticed Point 115...

"Lim and the opposition are advised to stay and understand the full budget speech in the future in order not to make similar mistakes such as one that Lim just made that would serve to embarrass themselves," Fadillah said in a statement today.

Lim had previously explained that he had left early while the budget speech was being tabled on Oct 21, in order to receive the Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail in George Town for the 200th anniversary of the Penang Free School.

Many opposition MPs meanwhile had held up placards that read "Who is MO1?" as Najib reached Point 257 of his speech, and then staged a walkout.

Najib had slammed the opposition MPs for the ruckus, saying that they had embarrassed themselves before the eyes of the public.

Fadillah's statement today was in response to Lim's claims on Friday that the toll hike for four highway concessions slated for 2017 was postponed due to public pressure, and questioned where the RM59.77 million for compensating the concessionaires would come from..

He claimed that toll compensation is not provided for under the 2017 Budget, and urged Fadillah to explain.

"As the 2017 Budget did not provide for any toll compensation payments, ordinary Malaysians will have to bear the full brunt of the toll hikes," he said.

The four affected highways are the Eastern Dispersal Link, Kajang-Seremban Highway, Senai-Desaru Expressway, and Guthrie Corridor Expressway.