Yesterday (25 February 2019), the government announced that motorists will have to pay a congestion fee during peak hours but there will be no toll fee during the off-peak hours (11pm – 5am).
Following that, former prime minister Najib Razak has a lot to weigh in regarding the issue because he reckoned that no one will benefit from the free toll during the off-peak period. Do you agree with him?
Source: FMT
He was quoted by FMT as saying,
“It is illogical, given that the time for no charges is when people go to sleep. We want to give it to people for free when they are conscious, not when they are asleep.”
“Who will stay awake from 11pm to 5am? Only ghosts, drinkers, LGBT and those who are for looking customers, maybe.”
He made this statement in front of almost 200 people and unfortunately, it didn’t sit well with the public because he was blamed for targetting specific sets of groups in his speech.
Source: Malaysian Update
Right after the backlash, Najib took to Facebook to apologise for his insensitive statement, reported The Malay Mail. He said he didn’t mean to hurt anyone with his statement and he was carried away because of the audience.
“If you watch the video clip from the chat session last night, I was only repeating what was shouted by the audience who attended the ceramah, in response to my question.”
“I admit that I went with the answers and responses given by last night’s audience. I humbly apologise if any were offended,” he explained.
You can read Najib’s full apology and watch the video of his speech here:
Bukan niat saya untuk mempersendakan sebarang kumpulan masyarakat yang bekerja pada waktu malam atau yang menggunakan lebuhraya tol selepas jam 11 malam.Jika anda tonton klip video ini dari sesi sembang santai saya malam semalam, saya hanya mengulangi apa yang diteriak oleh penonton yang berada di ceramah itu sebagai jawapan kepada soalan saya.Saya akui, saya telah terikut-ikut dengan jawapan dan respon diberikan penonton semalam.Saya dengan rendah hati mohon maaf jika ada yang berasa tersinggung.Apapun, perkara pokok yang saya utarakan mengenai isu ini di ceramah berkenaan adalah jelas.Apa yang saya utarakan adalah mengenai janji bertulis dalam hitam-putih serta diulang-ulang PH untuk menghapuskan tol patutlah bermaksud tol akan dihapuskan dan bukan sekadar pada masa tengah malam sahaja.Ataupun bukanlah dengan alasan baru PH seperti menjenamakan semula "caj tol" itu kepada nama lain seperti "caj kesesakan".PH dan media seharusnya tidak menggunakan sepatah dua kata saya dari sembang santai saya semalam sebagai cubaan untuk memesongkan fakta sebenar iaitu kegagalan PH untuk menunaikan janji manifesto dan hakikat bahawa mereka telah cuba sekali lagi untuk menipu rakyat dengan alasan baru.
Posted by Najib Razak on Monday, February 25, 2019
What do you think of his apology? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Also read: Drivers Will Soon Need to Pay ‘Congestion Fee’ During Peak Hours on These 4 Highways
