It is better to build mega infrastructure projects such as the multi-billion-ringgit East Coast Rail Line (ECRL) now instead of putting it off to later.

This is because the project will incur a much higher cost if it is to be done years later, said Second Finance Minister Johari Abdul Ghani (photo).

"No country will ever be ready for a (much) larger scale of funding for such an infrastructure project," Johari said in an interview with Malaysiakini and Free Malaysia Today (FMT).

"If we are in a position where people trust us and the people can facilitate our financing, why not (go for it)?"

"You can keep all the money until you are ready, but the cost of building could be four or five times (higher) if done later," he said.

Johari said this when asked about the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project, which has received lesser criticism than the ECRL, a rail link connecting Gombak in Selangor with Tumpat in Kelantan.

On Wednesday, Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the opposition coalition would review all foreign direct investments (FDIs) and may even cancel projects such as the ECRL if it becomes the government in the coming general election.

Opposition to PLUS and KLIA, too

Elaborating further, Johari said Mahathir, who helmed the country for 22 years, also encountered resistance when he pushed to construct the North-South Expressway (PLUS) and the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

"You saw the amount of objections from the opposition. But at the end of the day, PLUS is an economic catalyst for the country," he said.

"When we wanted to build KLIA, everyone was making noise - why were we spending a huge sum of money when we were not ready?

"We are not only centred in an urban area or southern area, but we also look at northern and eastern areas," Johari stressed.

The government awarded the RM55 billion ECRL project to China Communication Construction Company Ltd (CCCC), a Chinese state-owned firm.

The government is also taking a soft loan from the Export-Import Bank of China for the project. The project is mired in controversy as critics claimed the project was too costly.

Touted as a "game-changer", Najib previously said the 620km ECRL would boost economic growth in three states in the east coast – Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan.

The rail project is part of China's One Belt, One Road global infrastructure development initiative.

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