Malaysia intensified its efforts to rein in spending by reducing the cost of an almost $14-billion mass-rapid transit project, as Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad reviews programs he says his predecessor kicked off under unfair terms, Bloomberg reports. In August, Mahathir cancelled the Chinese-funded $20 billion East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project and a natural gas pipeline project in Sabah and said that those projects would be canceled until such time as Malaysia can afford it. Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng refused calling such measures austerity, preferring the term “smart spending” as the administration sets its eyes on driving economic growth. He added that the Malaysian government would spend when necessary, in key priority areas, Channel News Asia reports.