Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak said he had previously tried to convince Singapore to demolish the Johor Causeway in favour of a new bridge to suit the current era.

However, he said the Singapore government rejected this plan, as the Causeway could still be used for "another 30 years."

"They didn't want to replace it with a new bridge, we couldn't get an agreement," the Pekan MP told reporters when met in the Parliament lobby.

Najib said this when asked to comment on the government's plans to revive Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's 'crooked bridge' pet project.

He said the project, which would only replace the Malaysian half of the Causeway, would be an odd move, and questioned whether it would be beneficial for the people.

Najib previously revealed that his refusal to carry out the crooked bridge project was one of the reasons his ties with Mahathir became strained.

This came after the project had been scrapped by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration, and a hefty compensation had already been paid for the cancellation.

The crooked bridge project was originally proposed as a six-lane bridge to replace the Johor Causeway.

However, as Singapore did not agree to the project, it was modified to incorporate a sharp curve on the Malaysian side to allow vessels to pass underneath, thus earning it the 'crooked' moniker.

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