‘State highway completion date’ call

Kuala Lumpur: Senator Datuk Yong Wui Chung called on the Works Ministry to provide an expected completion date for the Pan Borneo Highway project.Yong, who is also the secretary general of Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), said Works Minister Baru Bian informed that the progress for the construction of the highway in Sarawak has reached 38 per cent while that of Sabah was only 13.43 per cent. Based on the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway website, he said the highway project commenced in 2016 and was supposed to complete by 2021. Yong pointed out that people in Sabah and Sarawak were envious of the width and good condition of the roads and highways in West Malaysia.

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“The people were elated when the government first announced that the 706-kilometre Pan Borneo Highway in Sabah would be built as the highway could change the development landscape and improve connectivity in the State. “However, it seems there is still a long way to go before Sabahans can enjoy having a highway that is on par with that in West Malaysia, given that the highway is only about 13 per cent complete in Sabah,” he said in Dewan Negara when debating the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah’s speech during the opening of Parliament. Hence, Yong hoped that the Works Ministry could provide an expected completion date for the Pan Borneo Highway Sabah and whether the construction progress was on schedule or delayed. “If the project has been delayed, what is the reason and actions taken to rectify the situation?

“Is there a possibility of replacing or terminating the work package contractors since the government has planned to change the Project Delivery Partner (PDP) to a turnkey contractor or other approach?” he asked. He also wished to know the impact to the government, schedule and costing due to compensation to the PDP upon its termination. “What will happen to the 70,000 workers involved in the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway?” Yong said while also requesting for the difference in costs as a result of the delay. On a separate matter, Yong wanted to know the measures taken by the country to address climate change. He said Malaysia has been experiencing heat waves, an extreme weather brought about by climate change. According to the report by United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change published on October 8 last year, Yong pointed that scientists have issued a final warning that humans only had about 12 years to keep the rate of global warming at a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to the pre-industrialization era. He said the report has highlighted that a rise in temperature over 1.5 degrees Celsius, or even more than 0.5 degrees Celsius, would exacerbate natural disasters such as drought, floods and heat waves. Hence, Yong asked the government on the measures taken to uphold the country’s commitment under the Paris Agreement, whereby Malaysia has pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030. “What is the latest status on the measures taken to fulfil the pledge?”

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He also wanted to know the amount of financial assistance and form of technology transfer received by Malaysia from developed nations to reduce carbon emissions in order to fulfil the country’s commitment under the Paris Agreement.

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