There are reports that a new highway to be built in Johor Baru will be funded by tolls imposed by vehicles using the causeway. First and foremost, this new highway is absolutely not necessary. Traffic could be easily controlled and also be further diverted to the second link if the toll there is lower.

Anyway, the current congestion in JB town is due more to slowness on the Singapore side as well as some idiotic road hump at the Malaysian exit side which creates traffic jams.

Having qualified that, I would, however, encourage the government to charge a more exorbitant rate of toll. Then they will get to be booted out faster.

Johor’s economy will be in ruins if they impose toll for the new highway. After all it will not only be Singaporean motorists that will be paying but also Malaysians who travel daily there to work and return with hard-earned cash to fuel JB’s economy.

Instead of rewarding and making it easier for this group of people who are heroes, the government continuously finds means and ways to frustrate this group of people who bring valuable foreign exchange home.

All through the years, besides ridiculous tolls at the causeway and the second link, passport price increases, elimination of the cheaper restricted passport and to the latest aborted attempt on petrol ban on Malaysian ‘foreign cars’ and other measures, what has the government done to lessen the burden on this group of unsung heroes?

Don’t forget too the RM10 that the government collected from us years ago to register for an equally harebrained exit and reentry permit that was never implemented after the money was collected.

I find it ridiculous to charge for toll at an entry point into Malaysia and not at the highway itself. Thousands of Malaysians who will never pay use the highway will be forced to pay toll - just like the current toll that is paid for the supposed use of the Senai highway.

The government can continue to rob the people in ingenious ways, this time under the pretext of ‘robbing’ Singaporeans just to make it look palatable, but the people are not blind nor stupid.

I say to the government - if Sabahans can get exasperated, so can the Johoreans. Dont take us for granted. Maybe the next election, I will offer myself as a candidate too.