Malaysia is looking at the possibility of replacing the Johor-Singapore Causeway with a straight bridge, said Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

He told reporters in Singapore that the leaders of both countries will explore the issue when they meet in 10 days.

"Before we even talk about a rapid transit system between Johor and Singapore and the high-speed rail link, I think we should explore the possibility of whether we can have a bridge.

"It'll be nice and I'm sure on both sides they'll be happy to have the water flow through the Straits," he said, according to Today Online .

However, he said the Najib-administration was not interested in pursuing the "crooked bridge" mooted by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Mahathir had initially mooted the "crooked bridge" project following Singapore's reluctance to replace the now 92-year-old Causeway.

The project entails replacing Malaysia's side of the Causeway with an elevated portion to allow ships to pass. The project was scrapped when Mahathir's successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came to power.

KJ for PM?

Talk about the "crooked bridge" was revived during Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's televised interview on April 9, where he alluded that it was among the issues which made Mahathir upset with him.

When asked by the Singaporean press about whether Mahathir's recent criticisms of Najib's administration had affected investor confidence, Khairy replied in the negative, pointing to the oversubscription of Malaysian government Islamic bonds.

He added that Najib had the backing of the cabinet and the BN coalition, but added that more needs to be explained to the public.

"I think people have been fed a lot of allegations in great detail, so we really have to ensure that each and every allegation is answered in a comprehensive way.

"That's why we've asked for a (comprehensive) audit to be done (on 1MDB)... on all the allegations from the PetroSaudi deal, to how the liabilities have accumulated," he said.

Asked about his premiership ambitions, Khairy said: "Not all of us are trained and brought up in the party to be interested in the top job. We're just interested in playing our part."