The PAS-led Terengganu state government came under fire from Barisan Alternatif coalition partner PRM for breaching the BA joint manifesto by supporting the East Coast Highway.

"The state government's decision to build the highway is in contradiction with the BA manifesto that pledges to eradicate tolls and mega projects," said a PRM press statement. The statement, issued by the party's Kelantan branch, also describes the move as "hasty".

However, a key party official defended the state government's decision.

"The manifesto outlines that tolls should be fair and reasonable and we will negotiate with the federal government to ensure that," PAS vice-president and state exco member Mustafa Ali told malaysiakini today.

The highway, which runs from Kuantan to Kuala Terengganu, is currently under construction.

Works Minister S. Samy Vellu had threatened to halt the project when Mentri Besar Abdul Hadi Awang abolished toll at the Sultan Mahmud bridge immediately after taking office. Samy warned that the highway would not be built in Terengganu if the state government refuses to pay toll.

PRM President Syed Husin Ali said that Terengganu should have applied pressure on the federal government to ensure that the cost of the project would not be passed on to the consumers.

"They could have negotiated and come to a full agreement as to what the amount of the toll should be," he said.