Why Malaysia’s ECRL project should go on, new government or not

As Malaysia is plunged into a political impasse after Mahathir Mohamad unexpectedly resigned as prime minister, there are questions on whether a change in government will lead to yet another review of mega-projects, including the China-backed East Coast Rail Link (ECRL). The US$11 billion rail project, which is part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was at first suspended, then reviewed and renegotiated, before being reinstated about a year later. The review came after the Pakatan…