High-Speed Rail: Najib, Lee Give Credit To M'sian Former Minister Wahid Omar

PUTRAJAYA (Malaysia), July 20 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday paid tribute to former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Wahid Omar, saying his work hard and dedication made the memorandum of understanding on the High Speed Rail (HSR) project a reality. Najib said the governments of Malaysia and Singapore had been working very hard over the past few years since the announcement of the HSR project was made at the fourth Singapore-Malaysia Annual Leaders' Retreat in February 2013. "I want to thank Abdul Wahid during his tenure as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department for his dedication in delivering this MOU. "By the way, we have a new job for him but not as a Uber driver," Najib said in jest referring to reports that Abdul Wahid had been ferrying passengers for ride-share service Uber after his term as senator ended. Najib made the remark at a joint press conference with Lee after they witnessed the signing of the MoU to signify Malaysia-Singapore commitment towards the landmark HSR project. Lee also said:" I would like to thank the ministers from both sides who negotiated this arrangement, particularly Abdul Wahid". Abdul Wahid was appointed as a member of the Dewan Negara (Malaysian Senate) and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in 2013, and his term of office ended on June 4 this year. Abdul Wahid, who had served as the CEO of several organisations including Maybank, served as a Uber driver to try to feel the pulse of the people before deciding to re-enter the corporate field. The HSR project, targeted for commercial operation in 2026, will have eight stations, namely Bandar Malaysia, Putrajaya, Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat, Iskandar Puteri and Singapore. The 350km rail service will reduce travel time between the two countries to just 90 minutes, with trains running at over 300km per hour. --BERNAMA