This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on January 31, 2019

KUALA LUMPUR: Economist Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram yesterday reiterated his stance that the RM81 billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project should be cancelled as its high costs would not benefit Malaysians, and to focus on more urgent socio-economic development issues in the region first.

Jomo said he first voiced his disagreement to the project before the 14th general election, when he had not yet known what he knows now on the various issues surrounding the deal.

He also thinks the project is drawn up to rake in profits and wealth for certain quarters, “perhaps with the aim of covering up 1MDB’s (1Malaysia Development Bhd’s) fraud and losses”.

“We need more clarity on how to solve this [ECRL issue],” said Jomo, who is part of the five-member Council of Eminent Persons or CEP that was formed to advise Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the first 100 days after the change in government. However, Dr Mahathir said in August that the CEP would not be disbanded yet as its services were still needed.

He was speaking to reporters at a luncheon talk on the topic of “New Malaysia: Role of Media” organised by the Malaysian Press Institute here yesterday.

“There are a lot of parties involved and a lot of factors to be considered, diplomatically and financially. What’s important is that our leaders are united in meeting the others involved and find a solution to maximise what can be saved,” he said when asked to comment on the issue, as the ECRL’s fate continues to hang in the balance.

On Tuesday evening, Dr Mahathir said talks on the project were still ongoing, and that no decision was reached yet.

On whether the development of the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia would be neglected without the rail, Jomo said:

“It wouldn’t [be neglected]. There are other issues and challenges in the East Coast that needs to be given more attention. Things like the problem of water, sanitation, floods. Those should be given more attention.”

Separately, during his talk earlier, Jomo called on the media industry to focus less on the politicking in the country and more on investigative journalism as a strategy to navigate the changing times.

“Separate politics from welfare. Forget the Pakatan Harapan versus Barisan Nasional political debate and focus on providing honest commentary. Then leave it up to the people to form their own views,” he said.