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November 05, 2006
Traffic Stopping
The plans for the Iskandar Development Region in Johor is certainly impressive.
The key, of course, is execution and implemention. I have no doubt that we have the capability and the capacity to do these things properly and to do them well.
Let's not have the billions to be invested there spent needlessly.
The New Straits Times reports that:
To kick-start these and other initiatives, the government has alocated RM4.3 billion under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.Government-linked entitites such as Khazanah Nasional and EPF will invest an additional RM3.4 billion.
I'm not against the EPF investing in projects, but I'd like to know where the returns will come from and what they are.
What will we Malaysian workers get in return for investing RM3.4 billion of our money in Iskandar?
The NST also lists the 9MP projects slated for the new growth area. Most of them are to do with transportation infrastructure.
There were two items that caught my eye:
RM423 million for traffic despersal at interchanges RM680 million to upgrade traffic dispersal system
That's RM1.13 billion to be spent on a traffic dispersal system.
You know how much money that is?
It's more than the RM1.06 billion to be spent on building and upgrading nine interchanges, building a railtrack to Port of Tanjung Pelepas, building a road linking the Second Link and Nusajaya, upgrades to Jalan Tampoi and the Ulu Tiram-Kota Tinggi road, and building the Senai-Skudai highway and a coastal highway.
Is there an expert out there who can enlighten us as to why a traffic dispersal system costs so much?
And can someone also explain how cleaning Sungai Seget, Sungai Skudai and the Tebrau Straits will cost RM903.2 million?
If we don't do anything to prevent people from dumping shite into these waterways, will it be a recurring cost?
These are things I would like to know.
I LIKE these comments. First, Osman Sapian, Johor BN Backbenchers Club secretary:
I hope the lower income group will not be marginalised under this mammoth development but have a share in it.
And Ng Yeow Song, JB Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry secretary-general:
The idealistic development should be backed by improved customer service and efficiency in the public sector. Security has to be enhanced to give investors and tourists the confidence to visit South Johor.
Iskandar is expected to raise per capita income form US$14,790 (RM54,700) in 2005 to US$31,000 (RM115,000) in 2025.
That's good, but equally, if not more important is to ensure that the wealth is distributed well.
We all have mega-hopes for this mega project.
Posted by aisehman at November 5, 2006 12:18 PM
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