WITH the 1,000km Pan Borneo Highway project in Sarawak nearing completion, Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg has paid glowing tribute to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and late chief minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem for realising the vital megaproject.
Abang Johari said the highway would transform the state’s socio-economic and industrial scenes.
He credited Najib and Adenan as the top figures who fought for the project.
Najib served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, while Adenan led the state as chief minister from 2014 until his death in 2017.
The Pan Borneo Highway project costs about RM18 billion.
Speaking at a dinner gathering in Kuching last night with key players in the highway’s construction, Abang Johari said without Najib and Adenan, the highway could not have materialised.
“Tok Nan is no longer with us, but his dream of having the Pan Borneo Highway in Sarawak is becoming a reality,” he said, referring to Adenan by his nickname.
“He and prime minister Najib … fought so hard to get the budget and to get things moving on the ground,” he said.
“This highway will transform the state and we must pay tribute to the two for their vision and effort for Sarawak.”
Federal Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, who was present at the event, said the Sarawak portion of the highway is 98% complete.
“All the finished sections will be opened to public use before the end of this year. The rest will be completed by March next year,” he said.
Nanta said the sections still under construction were in Sarikei (central Sarawak), Tatau, Bintulu, Beluru and Lambir (northern Sarawak).
The Vibes observed contractors preparing the last major portion of the highway in Lambir, about 30km south of Miri.
The Lambir portion measures about 30km and will connect to the interior Baram district via a feeder trunk road.
The highway from Kuching to Miri measures about 1,000km in length. The Limbang-Lawas portion in northernmost Sarawak after the Brunei border is about 200km.
The Lawas section will be linked to the highway in Sabah, where it will stretch for another 700km. – The Vibes, December 4, 2023.
