KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has suggested that the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project be expanded north to Bangkok.

       “I support the government’s plan to implement the HSR project to Johor Baru, in fact even towards the North to connect HSR from Bangkok to the Malaysia-Thailand border with private funding involving financial consortiums in the country,” he said in debating the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) in Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Sept 30).

       Muhyiddin said the project will result in economic growth worth billions of ringgit that will benefit the rakyat, especially for the bumiputra as well provide new job opportunities at regions near the HSR project.

       On Wednesday (Sept 29) former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak called for the revival of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) project, which is expected to connect between the two major economies in Asean.

       Najib however warned that replacing the HSR between Singapore and Kuala Lumpur with KLIA to Johor Baru will make the project not viable and ultimately detrimental to the country when it is forced to pay billions ringgit worth of subsidies.

       On a separate matter, Muhyiddin said the government should be attentive to those placed in the medium income (M40) households but are now categorised as B40, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

       “The initiatives and strategies outlined under 12MP must be sustainable and focused towards the distribution of wealth, growth and opportunities that can be accessed across all groups, including the rural community, bumiputra, Malays, Orang Asli and those in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.