KUALA LUMPUR: The Government should renegotiate all concession agreements with highway operators as the present ones are too one-sided and against public interest, a prominent consumer activist said.
Prof Datuk Hamdan Adnan, the adviser of the Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca), said the frequent increases in highway tolls and the large amount of compensations the Government had to pay to highway operators in lieu of such hikes was tantamount to holding both the Government and highway users to ransom.
“Surely there must be a way out or an escape clause in the agreements for renegotiation in the interest of the public. If not, Fomca wants to know who's responsible for this blunder,” he said.
Hamdan was responding to an announcement by Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu that the Government would discontinue with the practice of paying compensation and subsidy to highway operators every time it asked them to defer toll increases as provided for under the concession pacts.
Hamdan said regular increases in toll rates in the face of equally regular hikes in the price of fuel was becoming a big burden to motorists.
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“We also want both Datuk Seri Samy Vellu and the concessionaires not to take the public too much for granted,” said Hamdan. – Bernama
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/8/16/nation/11778840&sec=nation
:top: He fights for the rakyat
Semi can go ham chat :shot:
Prof Datuk Hamdan Adnan, the adviser of the Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca), said the frequent increases in highway tolls and the large amount of compensations the Government had to pay to highway operators in lieu of such hikes was tantamount to holding both the Government and highway users to ransom.
“Surely there must be a way out or an escape clause in the agreements for renegotiation in the interest of the public. If not, Fomca wants to know who's responsible for this blunder,” he said.
Hamdan was responding to an announcement by Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu that the Government would discontinue with the practice of paying compensation and subsidy to highway operators every time it asked them to defer toll increases as provided for under the concession pacts.
Hamdan said regular increases in toll rates in the face of equally regular hikes in the price of fuel was becoming a big burden to motorists.
.
.
.
“We also want both Datuk Seri Samy Vellu and the concessionaires not to take the public too much for granted,” said Hamdan. – Bernama
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/8/16/nation/11778840&sec=nation
:top: He fights for the rakyat
Semi can go ham chat :shot:
