A DAP representative has accused BN politicians of creating slander to divert attention away from its half-baked plan to suddenly hike toll charges sharply at the well-used Johor Causeway link to Singapore.

Senai assemblyperson Wong Shu Qi today demanded that Johor Menteri Besar Khaled Nordin apologise to her for spreading accusations on Twitter that DAP was pro-Singapore just because it raised issues about a tit-for-tat Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) fee to match Singapore’s move.

The move, Wong ( left ) had argued, would hurt Malaysians as well as Singaporeans, as many Johoreans also drive Singapore-registered vehicles back and forth to the island state for work.

“I would like to stress that the BN government should not implement policies that will bring negative effects to the people before studies are done.

“The VEP can be launched if the BN government offers an alternative at the same time to reduce the negative impact on the citizens of Malaysia who have to drive their own vehicles every day,” Wong said in a press statement.

She said MB Khaled had spread a tweet saying that DAP was more interested in safeguarding Singaporeans’ interests rather than that of Johoreans'.

The same anti-DAP articles were also re-tweeted this morning by Works Minister Fadillah Yusuf, even as lorry drivers protesting the toll hike at the causeway caused a jam early this morning.

The protest came as Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA), under the Works Ministry, had last week announced that vehicles, except motorcycles, leaving Johor via a new EDL expressway would pay a nearly six-fold increase in toll rates.

Fadillah has been contacted but has not replied to Malaysiakini queries on the short-lived protest .

Although unrelated to the VEP, DAP had also voiced out against the MHA move as another unnecessary burden on the people

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had last month ordered the Road Transport Department to look into a VEP for Singapore-registered vehicles entering Johor.

The move was seen by some as a retaliation against Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA), which announced on July 1 that it was hiking its VEP fees from August.