Malaysian council to review all megaprojects

Malaysian council to review all megaprojects

A worker is seen at a construction site, with the landmark Petronas Twin Towers in the background, in Kuala Lumpur. (Reuters photo)
A worker is seen at a construction site, with the landmark Petronas Twin Towers in the background, in Kuala Lumpur. (Reuters photo)

KUALA LUMPUR: The chairman of an advisory council set up by the new Malaysian government said on Friday that all megaprojects in the country would be reviewed and recommendations would be presented to the government.

"We have to review all megaprojects. If it is not to our advantage, then we have to sit down and talk," Daim Zainuddin told reporters.

The advisory group was set up by the newly elected Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. Observers expect large investment projects linked to China would come under especially close scrutiny, after an election campaign in which perceived threats to sovereignty were a big issue with voters.

Mr Daim also said the government expects to raise about 30 billion ringgit (US$7.6 billion) from a reinstated sales and services tax (SST). The new government introduced the SST after scrapping a goods and service tax (GST) to keep an election campaign promise.

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