Johor state govt to discuss third bridge proposal at upcoming M’sia-S’pore ministerial talks

JOHOR BARU — The proposal to build a third bridge between Singapore and Johor will be “discussed by the Johor government” during the Malaysia-Singapore joint ministerial committee for Iskandar Malaysia next month, said chief minister Osman Sapian on Tuesday (Oct 30).

But before the ministerial meeting to be held in Singapore, Mr Sapian said he will first raise the matter with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Wednesday, reported national news agency Bernama.

The chief minister reportedly said: “It is important to solve the problem of traffic congestion experienced by Johor at this juncture. If something is not done now, I think it will never ever be resolved”.

“If people say the government is being wasteful when the economy is uncertain…, I do not think it’s a waste but I do not want to say anything further because it has already been commented on earlier,’ he added.
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The proposal to build a third bridge to Singapore was raised by Mr Osman in late August.

Several Pakatan Harapan (PH) ministers also said that Putrajaya is looking at the possibility of building a third link between the two countries.

Separately, Mr Osman revived the proposal for a crooked bridge earlier this month, noting that the project would help ease congestion into Singapore and reduce pollution in the Tebrau Straits.

However, Economic Affairs minister Azmin Ali said Mr Osman’s suggestion was merely his personal remark and that Putrajaya had not received any proposal on the project, which like any other mega projects, is not a “priority” for the cash strapped government.

The crooked bridge project was first mooted by Dr Mahathir to replace the causeway when he was prime minister during the Barisan Nasional administration.

In 2003, just before ending his 22-year tenure as prime minister, Dr Mahathir announced that Malaysia would go ahead and build a crooked bridge – a six-lane S-shaped highway that would curve in such a way that it allows vessels to pass under it – if Singapore refused to demolish its half of the Causeway.

The project was later rejected by Mr Abdullah Badawi after he became Prime Minister in 2003.

Singapore, however, said on October 18 that it had not received any official proposal from Malaysia to construct a crooked bridge between the two countries. The Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said neither has Singapore received any word on building a new link.

Dr Mahathir has insisted that Putrajaya does not require Singapore’s consent to construct the crooked bridge.

“This (proposal) came from Johor. They said they want to build the crooked bridge, but someone said it is not the crooked bridge but a third bridge,” he said.

“If we build a third bridge, we will need Singapore’s consent… The crooked bridge doesn’t involve Singapore at all. So we can build it at any time.”

In a further push for the project to take off, Dr Mahathir said last week that Putrajaya can recover the money spent developing the crooked bridge. AGENCIES

 

Source: Today Online