Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on July 17, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said he hopes to meet his Singapore counterpart “by the end of the month” to discuss details of the planned Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR).

Speaking on the sidelines of the EU-Malaysia Trade and Investment Forum yesterday, Mohamed Azmin said he will meet Singapore Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing to discuss the future of the KL-Singapore HSR.

“I am in communication with [my] Singaporean counterpart. Last week, I was briefed by the (Malaysia) Attorney-General [Tommy Thomas] and I have presented the case to the cabinet on (last) Wednesday,” Mohamed Azmin said.

“We will meet with my counterpart in Singapore soon, and we will discuss the details,” he added.

Last week, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said his government has not yet officially informed Singapore of its decision on the HSR, but that the city state knows what Malaysia wants to do with it.

“Decisions are not so easy to make. When we make a decision and announce it, the market reacts negatively. “[But] what we are doing now will ensure that, financially, the country is run properly,” Dr Mahathir was reported as saying.

The prime minsiter was responding to Singapore Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan’s statement the day before that Malaysia had not given a formal reply on the project, since Singapore sent a diplomatic note on the matter on June 1.

On May 30, Dr Mahathir announced that the cabinet has agreed to scrap the HSR project due to high financial costs, subject to discussions with the Singapore government.

The service, targeted to begin by Dec 31, 2026, will cut travel time between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur to 90 minutes.

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