GEORGE TOWN: Gerakan has taken Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng to task over his failure to keep his promise to abolish the Penang Bridge toll.
Its state chairman, Oh Tong Keong, said the former Penang Chief Minister has finally realised that he had made an unrealistic promise during the run-up to the 14th General Election (GE14) of abolishing the toll for the bridge linking Penang island to the mainland.
He said Lim has tabled the national budget twice, yet has only managed to abolish toll charges for motorcycles at the Penang Bridge and the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge (Second Bridge).
"He has shown to the people that he cannot keep his promise. He made the sweet promise just to attract support during the election.
"Now (his) promise is nothing more than mere words. My question to him (is): Where is your promise to abolish the Penang Bridge toll?" Oh said in response to the tabling of the 2020 Budget in the Dewan Rakyat, this afternoon.
Prior to GE14, Lim had promised to abolish toll charges at the Penang Bridge should Pakatan Harapan win the federal government.
The promise was made to counter a pledge made by former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, under Barisan Nasional's manifesto, to exempt motorcycles plying the Penang Bridge from toll payment.
In his 2020 Budget speech today, Lim said that the government will streamline the cost of car toll charges for the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge with the Penang Bridge, at RM7.
Oh said that the majority of Penangites will still be disappointed today, despite the “discount” given for the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge.
"People want toll charges abolished, not (just) reduced," he added.