Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should suspend the impending toll hike at five major Klang Valley highways, urged an anti-toll hike coalition in a memorandum to him today.

A failure by the premier to do so before the new rates are implemented on Jan 1 will see the public taking to the streets to show their displeasure, warned the coalition which is made up of several non-governmental organisations and opposition parties.

As it is, a mammoth protest has been planned by this coalition on Jan 7.

"In the interest of the general public, we call on the government to be transparent in answering all our queries over the toll hike.

"The public has the right to know the process of policy-making, especially when we are asked to share the government's financial burden," the three-page memorandum stated.

It added that government should conduct an open and comprehensive review of all highway concessions in order to find out ways to reduce the people's hardship and lessen wastage of public fund.

Protest or nasi kunyit

The memorandum was submitted by the coalition head Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud, who is also the Malaysian Trade Union Congress president, to the premier's office in Putrajaya this morning.

The hour-long event saw about 40 opposition leaders, non-governmental organisations and union representatives carrying banners and gathering outside the Prime Minister's Department.

At about 11am, 10 representatives from the coalition were allowed to go into the building to submit the memorandum, which was endorsed by 10 different groups including the opposition parties.

The representatives completed their 'mission' in just about five minutes.

Syed Shahir told the crowd later that the memorandum has been received by the premier's private secretary Ahmad Yaacob. He added that Abdullah is said to be on leave at present.

"If the toll hike is going to proceed, we will mobilise people and gather on Jan 7 again to hold a protest along the Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong (LDP) highway," he said.

"However if the government decides to suspend it, the protest won't go on while we can have nasi kunyit (turmeric rice) as celebration," Syed Shahir added to the applause from the crowd.

The event also featured short speeches from several leaders such as pro-tem Parti Sosialis Malaysia secretary-general S Arutchelvan and acting PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin.

Others who turned up include DAP publicity chief Teresa Kok, PKR information bureau chief Tian Chua, PAS leaders Dr Hatta Ramli and Mahfuz Omar.

Financial burden on workers

Bala Murugam, 32, a technician at electrical appliance manufacturer JVC in Shah Alam, said the toll hike will bring more financial burden to his livelihood.

"I drive to work from my home in Klang to Shah Alam. With the new toll rate, I will have to pay RM2.20 instead of RM1.50 that I am paying now for one way," he said when met this morning.

"This brings more burden especially to us, the workers. The government simply increased the toll and petrol prices. We the workers are the one going to suffer more," the father of a daughter added.

"It is not just the toll hike because prices for other daily necessities might go up too... Our living cost is increasing, only our salary is not increasing," he lamented.

On Dec 14, the government announced that the toll rates for five major highways in the Klang Valley will rise between 20 to 60 percent effective Jan 1.

The five are LDP, Shah Alam Highway, Cheras-Kajang Highway, Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway and Guthrie Corridor Expressway.

Among others, the LDP will see it toll rise from RM1 to RM1.60.

The unpopular move elicited strong reactions from various groups, including the ruling MCA, which has planned to held a series of protests and other activities to voice their opposition.

A public forum on the toll hike will be held at the Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall tonight and several prominent opposition figures have been invited to speak.