MP wants Labuan 'plugged' into Pan Borneo
Published on: Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Labuan: Member of Parliament Datuk Rozman Isli (pic) said he would appeal to the Sabah Government to have Labuan "connected" to the Pan Borneo Highway via a highway linking Menumbuk to Beaufort."Such a road is important or Labuan would be bypassed and stand out as the missing link of the massive 2,239km Pan Borneo Highway that connects Sabah, Brunei and Sarawak," he said. He said the island's connection with the highway is important as it would benefit both Sabah and Labuan, adding Labuan and Kota Kinabalu are two important centres of commerce and tourism in the west coast of Sabah.
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Rozman said he had discussed this with the Federal Government but approval was needed from Sabah as it involved State land.He said since the highway could have a "line" connecting Tuaran to Kudat, "it seems all are becoming connected but Labuan left out from the benefits of this major Borneo infrastructure project."He said Labuan, apart from being a financial, oil and gas and educational hub, is also a duty-free island. "Those going on a long journey, if the link with Beaufort is opened, would be encouraged to take a break in Labuan.
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"An additional bonus would be for the travellers to enjoy duty-free shopping and help recover part of the transportation cost."Rozman said the proposed bridge, after dragging for decades, may not become a reality due to its high cost of about RM5 billion or so and the Labuan-Beaufort link would be cheaper and a good alternative to the bridge.
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He further said there are now five roll on-roll off ferries operating on the Labuan-Menumbuk route, meaning motorists arriving in Menumbuk would not have to advance book their boarding since there is a ferry leaving Menumbuk almost every one and half hour.Plans were already afoot to expand the ferry terminal by an additional docking ramp at a cost of RM5 million and there were similar plans also at Menumbuk.Rozman said the facilities would be ready ahead of the completion of the Pan Borneo Highway.He added that he would discuss with the Sabah State Secretary on this as the link is important for the future progress of Labuan as well as the coastal towns of Sabah's west coast.The Pan Borneo Highway costing RM27 billion (Malaysian section) and originates from Sematan in Sarawak will end in Serudong in Sabah. In Sabah, it passes through Weston, Keningau, Papar, KK, Kota Belud, Sandakan, Tawau, Lumut, Sg Liang and Tutong.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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