DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng has called on all Malaysians to join the nationwide demonstrations against the North-South Expressway (NSE) toll hike.

The demonstrations will be held at the toll-plazas in Ampang (Perak), Sg Besi (Kuala Lumpur), Skudai (Johor) and Juru (Penang) on Dec 26.

It will be led by the Committee Against Unfair Toll Increases (Cauti) chairperson Teresa Kok, who is also a DAP parliamentarian.

Despite widespread protests, highway concessionaire Projek Lebuhraya Utara Selatan (Plus) remains adamant in hiking the toll rate by 10 percent - from 12.36 sen per kilometre to 13.60 per kilometre. It has also obtained the green light from the government.

Huge profits

In a statement yesterday, Lim queried the huge profit Plus reaped for this year. According to financial analysts, it recorded a RM760 million profit in 2004 and is expected to roll in RM937 million next year.

The DAP leader said Plus has been granted tax exemption from 2002 till 2006. This exemption applies to 'adjusted income' from all sources.

"Which company in Malaysia enjoys tax exemption for five years and waiver interest from loans taken from the government?" he asked.

Lim said he found it ridiculous that Works Minister Samy Vellu had 'no choice' but to allow the hike. The latter reasoned that if it is disallowed then the government would be forced to pay a hefty compensation to Plus, as stipulated in the contract between both parties.

However, Lim said the government has made 'due' compensation to Plus which amounted to almost RM1 billion.

Among this include the RM331.68 million paid to the company when the Senai toll plaza was abolished effective March 1 this year.

The government has also agreed to waive interest accrued to Jan 1, 2002 amounting to RM1,729.22 million on its government support loan.

Kit Siang inks online petition

Meanwhile, the online petition which was launched by Cauti yesterday, has since garnered about 2,000 signatures.

Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, who was the 1992th person to ink the petition, was pleased by the response.

"The response to the online petition is a measure of the vast reservoir of public opposition to the unfair and lopsided toll rate structure," he said.

He called on all parliamentarians, both from the ruling Barisan Nasional and the opposition, to sign the petition.

"All state assembly representatives should also come forward to publicly endorse the online petition," he added.

"A powerful point must be made that Plus and the government should accede to the most reasonable request for a two-month deferment of the 10 percent toll hike to allow for a full public study of its far-reaching implications affecting two to three generations of Malaysians."