00:00 "The historical precedent, including examples like the Putra LRT in Malaysia, shows that
00:08 relying solely on private sector funding for such projects can lead to financial difficulties
00:12 that necessitate government intervention.
00:15 So a fully private funded model appears to be impractical and high risk."
00:20 A fully privately funded Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail project is not feasible given
00:25 the high capital required to undertake it, transport experts say.
00:29 Former transport official Wan Agil Wan Hassan says the risks associated with such huge investments
00:35 and uncertain returns could discourage private investors.
00:39 Last Wednesday, MyHSR Corporation's Sundarian Berhat said the revived KL-Singapore HSR project
00:45 was expected to be fully funded by the private sector, despite being developed and operated
00:50 through a public-private partnership.
00:53 Wan Agil says the concept of a PPP transcended monetary contributions and was a strategic
00:58 alliance that sought to harmonize the strengths of both public and private entities.
01:03 "Even when the financial onus is entirely on the private sector, the public sector remains
01:09 an invaluable stakeholder.
01:12 It often steps into streamlined processes like land acquisitions, obtaining regulatory
01:17 permissions, assuring potential revenue streams or alleviating certain associated risks."
01:22 Meanwhile, transport consultant Rosli Azad Khan says the KL-Singapore HSR project was
01:28 not feasible as it was a very ambitious project.
01:32 "Only project funders and private sector corporations would win, as avenues for misappropriation,
01:40 financial manipulation and irregularities in such a huge project are widely open and
01:47 often taken advantage of by the interested parties."
01:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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