You Pay Or I Pay

Decision on toll rates by year-end - The Star, 10th Nov 2006

• The Cabinet will decide by the end of this year whether to increase the toll charges for the five concessionaires.
• The concessionaires are Guthrie Corridor, KL-Karak Highway, Grand Saga, Lebuhraya Damansara Perdana and Lebuhraya Shah Alam.
• Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the concession agreements would be due by Jan 1 next year.
• “The agreement lapses every three to seven years, so we will have to review the toll. If we do not allow them to increase the toll, then we will have to compensate them,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here yesterday.

I don't work in these area, neither do I understand the details of the agreement but it sounds like a good project to pick-up because you will never lose money. It is either the road users who will compensate you or the government, either way, you are the winner. I have the similar thought on Singapore's public transport system, which have gone through a few rounds of fee hike since I was here.

How if all these are due to mis-management of the company and or mis-using of operation budget? We pay for your fault too? When other company is facing a down-turn, they will take measures to cut the budget, i.e. reduce the spending, re-structure the company's manpower and improve the efficiency. I hope the ministry has looked into it and the toll increased is based on the principle of "no other way out".