KOTA KINABALU – Sabah’s 25 MPs should have fought harder for Budget 2021 allocation for the Pan-Borneo Highway Project.
Sabah Umno Youth head Abdul Aziz Julkarnain said he believes that the project is a game changer for Sabah’s economy.
He said despite Sabah being rich in natural resources, such as oil and gas, and palm oil, as well as good tourism opportunities due to its strategic location, that state still cannot attract enough foreign investors due to lack of infrastructure development, such as poor road connectivity.
“If the Pan-Borneo Highway in Sabah is completed, it will bring such huge benefits to us. The allocation for the Sepanggar Container Port extension project in Budget 2021 will not make much difference if road conditions in Sabah are still poor. We need the Pan-Borneo project to be congruent with the Sepanggar port project.
“(Sabah's part of) the Pan-Borneo Highway project has 35 packages, and only 12 packages are running. Currently, only 20% of the project has been completed. Budget 2021 is allocating RM15 billion for the Serusop-Pituru package in Kota Belud, but that is only one package.
“At this rate, we may need to wait another 15 years for the project to be completed. That would cause Sabah to be left further behind,” he told an online forum organised by the Society Empowerment and Economic Development of Sabah last night.
Aziz said just as former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak fought for loam moratorium extensions and Account 1 EPF withdrawals in Parliament, Sabah MPs should have fought as hard for the Pan-Borneo Highway project to receive more funding.
“It doesn’t matter if you are from the opposition or the government; the MPs should have fought for Sabah.”
The Pan-Borneo Highway project is a multi-billion-ringgit, 2,239km highway connecting Sabah and Sarawak.
The portion in Sabah stretches more than 1,236km, to be built in three phases. Phase 1 alone is reported to cost RM12.86 billion.
Meanwhile, Aziz said transparency is needed when it comes to revenue and finances between the federal and state government.
“To date, no one can tell me how to calculate the 40% revenue share in Sabah or how much it is. Sabahans deserve to know this,” he said. – The Vibes, November 28, 2020
