KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday (May 29) that he will inform Singapore about his country's intention to withdraw from the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project.

"I made a statement to the press, but they will be informed," he said when asked if Singapore had been told yet.



Singapore's Ministry of Transport had said on Monday that it had not been formally notified of Malaysia's plans to scrap the HSR project.



When asked if Dr Mahathir's decision was final, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the Malaysia Cabinet had not yet discussed the issue, but would do so at their weekly meeting on Wednesday.

"You have to ask the prime minister that," he told reporters on the sidelines of a Vesak Day event in Brickfields.

The cabinet has not discussed the scrapping of #HSR says Malaysia transport minister Anthony Loke . The issue will be brought up at the weekly meeting tomorrow . He declined to comment whether Malaysia’s decision to drop the project is final or not . pic.twitter.com/2XNkb8pJh1 — Melissa Goh (@MelGohCNA) May 29, 2018







Dr Mahathir has also asked former Barisan Nasional minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan, who had overseen the HSR project, to prove the allegations in his statement released on Tuesday evening.

In the statement, Abdul Rahman had said it would be a "big mistake" to cancel the KL-Singapore HSR project, as it would cost Malaysia an estimated RM209 billion in gross national income contribution and the potential to create 70,000 jobs.

"Ask him to show proof," said Dr Mahathir. "We say we have lost RM1 trillion. We have papers (to show it). Show proof."

Additional reporting by Melissa Goh