KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 9– The decision to temporarily postpone the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project is a sound one.

This move aligns with the government’s focus on prioritizing people-centric initiatives while considering budgetary constraints.

Dr. Bashir Ahmad Shabir Ahmad, Senior Economics Lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), emphasized that the project should be periodically reassessed to ensure it does not place an undue burden on the nation.

He explained, "If we cannot achieve sufficient ridership from the northern, southern, or central regions, there is a concern that the operational costs could fall on the government."

He further cautioned, "This could lead to subsidies being required to cover the ongoing expenses, which would have a significant impact on the nation's financial sector," he told RTM.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim stated that any decision to revive the HSR project would depend on full private sector involvement, ensuring no financial strain on the government.

He added that the government’s commitment to the mega project had to be postponed temporarily to address outstanding issues.

Meanwhile, Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong expressed openness to new proposals from Malaysia, but emphasized that they would need to start the process from scratch.