KOTA KINABALU – A visibly irritated Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin today chastised Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz for “ignoring” the allocation to Sabah for its portion of the Pan Borneo Highway.
Bung Moktar, who is Sabah deputy chief minister, said the state cabinet has agreed to re-establish the private finance initiative (PFI) that was abolished in 2020 when Pakatan Harapan was in power.
“Without the PFI, there will be no allocation to implement the 22 work packages for the Pan Borneo Highway. There’s only allocation for infrastructure development that is about RM1 billion a year. With this amount, only two work packages can be done annually.
“This means it will take 20 years to complete the project. This is a far cry from Sarawak that has completed about 80% of the highway.”
He also trained his guns on the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) and the Public Works Department (PWD), urging all parties to set up a meeting as the monsoon season will damage more roads in the state.
“Zafrul needs to be told. If he does not respect the rights of the people in Sabah, then there’s no need for him to visit Sabah.
“Tell Zafrul, the EPU, and the PWD to stop sleeping. More roads will be damaged now…it is the monsoon season in Sabah. If they don’t do it. Then forget about their promises on the Malaysia Agreement 1963.”
Bung Moktar said this when met by reporters in Lahad Datu, some 402km from here.
Last November, he urged the federal government to help erase Sabah’s title as the “poorest state in Malaysia”.
He said after 58 years of independence, Sabah is still poor with a lot of rural areas lacking access to clean water supply, electricity, and roads.
He added that Sabah’s contribution to national development is higher than Melaka, Kelantan, and Terengganu, but it is still the poorest state in the federation. – The Vibes, January 7, 2022
