PUTRAJAYA: The government will proceed with the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) if it could substantially lower the cost, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said while final decision has not been made, the government has principally agreed to revive to project and had mentioned the matter to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
He said the government had to relook at its budget as it needed to focus on other areas that needed attention such as education, healthcare, infrastructure projects, as well as increased expenditure for Sabah and Sarawak.
"We're paying the penalty (for the project cancellation), which doesn't makes sense.
"If we were to proceed, we'll probably make sure that acquisition starts swiftly, otherwise, the cost would increase even further."
The project, with an initial estimation of RM72 billion, did not take off as both countries failed to reach a consensus before the project agreement expired on Dec 31, 2020.
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To a question on the proposed formation of the Malaysian Media Council, the prime minister said the the government has principally agreed to its establishment.
He said the matter is now with the Communications Ministry, which is drawing up policies and parameters.
Anwar said this during a "no holds barred" dialogue with senior editors from the country's electronic, print and online media.
The session, held at the Kompleks Seri Perdana here, featured journalists from various publications nationwide including Sabah and Sarawak.
For more than an hour, Anwar fielded a host of hard-hitting questions, ranging from the country's economics projection for next year, the unity government's relations with Umno heading into the 16th General Election, his relationship with the incoming agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and others.