PUTRAJAYA — The Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project can be revived if there is full participation from the private sector, with minimal government involvement, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said the government’s current position is to invite the participation of the private sector because the government has limitations and is still waiting for “promising” proposals.
“We have to put the issues of poverty alleviation, flood mitigation, basic infrastructure, education and public health as our priority, at least for the next one or two years, so the mega projects have to be deferred because of the commitment to settling some outstanding issues.
“We are still waiting for some promising and positive contribution or participation by the private sector to proceed when necessary… there have been proposals and the task force is looking at it,” he said during a joint press conference with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, reported by Bernama.
Wong is on a two-day official visit to Malaysia which started yesterday.
Wong, meanwhile, said the Singapore government is open to listening to new proposals from Malaysia on the revival of the HSR project.
“It was very unfortunate that we were not able to proceed with it originally. From our point of view, greater connectivity between our two countries is always a plus,” he added.
In 2021, Malaysia paid Singapore S$102.8 million (RM320.27 million) for cost incurred for the HSR project, which was called off after both countries failed to agree on proposed changes to the scope.
The project, conceived in 2013 during former prime minister Datuk Seri Najiib Razak’s administration, was postponed by the Pakatan Harapan government in 2018 under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister, before its eventual termination.
The project’s cost is now about RM100 billion, according to reports on industry estimates.
Anwar and Wong today said both countries were still discussing long-standing differences, but remained focused on areas of mutual interests with projects like the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link.
“We do not want these issues, even if there are differences of views, to detract from the positive projects that we can do together,” Anwar said.
Wong expressed Singapore’s enthusiasm for the JS-SEZ project, noting that many businesses are keen “to do more out of Johor”.
“We already have existing incentives for businesses from Singapore that want to expand overseas, so Singaporean businesses can tap into those incentives, market readiness programmes and grants in order to expand and operate in Johor that are synergised with their operations in Singapore,” he said.
Wong added that the JS-SEZ would enable Malaysia and Singapore attract more global investments to both countries, which would “enhance the pie, expand the pie and create more jobs for both our peoples”.
Anwar and Wong today witnessed the exchange of the joint agreement between Malaysia and Singapore on JS-SEZ along with six other memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and one letter of intent (LOI).
The MoUs involve the field of carbon capture and storage; cooperation in cooperative approaches under Article 6 (paragraph 2) of the Paris Agreement; and cooperation in the field of urban development.
They also include an MoU on cooperation in the fields of social welfare, women, and persons with disabilities’ empowerment, family, children and community development; an MoU on preventing and combatting transnational crimes; and an MoU on cooperation in the field of higher education.
Meanwhile, the LOI between the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) and Yayasan Guru Tun Hussein Onn (YGTHO) is on the Malaysia–Singapore English Volunteers Programme (MSEVP). – January 7, 2025