This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on August 9, 2019

KUALA SELANGOR: The cabinet will discuss proposals with regard to the direction of highway tolls in Malaysia this month, said Works Minister Baru Bian (pic).

He said the study on the toll industry has been completed and the findings have been circulated to all ministries.

The cabinet will discuss the way forward for the toll industry when it meets next.

“After deliberation, a decision by the cabinet will be made by this month,” he told reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony of IJM Corp Bhd’s IJM Industrialised Building System (IBS) Pusat Bina Bestari facility here yesterday.

When asked about the proposals, Baru said: “I think it is fair that I should not speak prematurely about it, but definitely the recommendation will be for the good of the people from all aspects, [and that] all the stakeholders’ rights have been considered.

“So we will expect something positive,” he added.

Baru said in a statement in June that the ministry had appointed certified audit consultants in January to study the toll industry in a holistic manner.

Among the aims of the study were to suggest reasonable options that can be accepted by all stakeholders to minimise the financial burden of the government and ensure that the operations and maintenance standards of the highways are not affected.