If critics can seal deal with Beijing, PM says 'may' scrap ECRL
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today brushed off suggestions that there was enough cause to suspend the East Coast Rail Link project, which was contracted to China.
"They (critics) have to negotiate. If they are willing to negotiate with the Chinese and tell me that (the Chinese) can suspend (project), I will follow (suit)," said Mahathir after launching the National Culture and Heritage Charter in Kuala Lumpur.
Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad today brushed off suggestions that there was enough cause to suspend the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project which was contracted to China.
"They (the project's critics) can negotiate (it themselves). If they are willing to negotiate with the Chinese and tell me that (the Chinese) will suspend (the project), I will follow (suit)," said Mahathir after launching the National Culture and Heritage Charter in Kuala Lumpur.
Mahathir said this when asked for his response to Khazanah Research Institute senior adviser Jomo Kwame Sundaram's suggestion which he said was made in light of testimonies arising from Najib Abdul Razak's corruption trial.
Najib's former special officer Amhari Efendi Nazrudin had testified that the ECRL project was among the projects devised to bail out 1MDB and SRC International Sdn Bhd.
In view of this, Jomo told a forum yesterday that the RM44 billion project was a "scam" and that China's President Xi Jinping would not want to be associated with international corruption.
Mahathir claimed that Jomo, who once served on the government's Council of Eminent Persons, was merely expressing a personal opinion.
"That's his thought. But the Chinese government has not told us anything.
"It may have been (done to bail out 1MDB) but we have a contract to build and construct it. As you know, we have reduced the scope and cost," said Mahathir.
The ECRL project was relaunched by the Pakatan Harapan administration in July, with a different route and at a revised cost of RM44 billion, almost half the initial RM81 billion price tag.
Prior to his trial, Najib had denied allegations that ECRL and other projects contracted to Chinese firms were designed to bail out the beleaguered 1MDB.
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