LABUAN: Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa (pic) said he will present a working paper on the proposed Labuan bridge to the Cabinet for approval for the request for proposal (RFP) in the next two weeks.
He said the proposed bridge would give a tremendous boost to the development of Labuan as Malaysia’s international business and financial centre.
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“We are looking at the importance of the bridge, which is a game-changer (for Labuan’s economic development). We must also look at the affected land for reclamation for a more sustainable infrastructure development,” he told reporters at the end of his two-day working visit to Labuan Thursday night.
He said efforts to realise the long-standing proposal on the bridge must start now, with a briefing to the Cabinet soon.
“As the proposed bridge (project) will go through an open tender, we will take extra precaution on the selection of the developer. We hope to speed up its implementation,” he said.
Annuar said if an international company was chosen to construct the bridge, it must work together with local contractors.
He said the ministry’s officials had held preliminary discussions with the Sabah Government and the latter supported the proposed bridge project.
Earlier reports said the proposed bridge will span 13km, from Tanjung Aru here to mainland Sabah, either at Mempakul or Membakut.
He said the proposed bridge should ideally be linked to the ongoing Pan Borneo Highway project connecting Sarawak and Sabah.
“If the Pan Borneo Highway can be linked to Labuan bridge, it will have a trickle-down effect on Labuan’s socio-economy,” he said.
Meanwhile, the newly-established Labuan Development Action Council will spearhead the monitoring exercise of the Federal Government’s economic development projects on the duty-free island.
The council will lead the more than 80 government agencies and departments here in the development plans for the people and the island.
Annuar said Labuan, being Malaysia’s international business and financial centre and the region’s oil and gas hub, should be given a new breath of life in terms of economic development plans.
“We have seen the progress of the two main sectors here but there are still limitations for Labuan to progress further.
“Taking into consideration the current geopolitics, with Labuan being strategically located within Borneo Island, it is potentially emerging as a dynamic and progressive island.
“We are of the view that a game-changer needs to be formulated to turn Labuan into a vibrant Federal Territory,” he said.
He said services for deepwater oil and gas exploration could still be explored with better facilities to be offered for the industry players.
“As we understand it, as Labuan is only providing such services in shallow water, we might as well embark on deepwater services,” he said.
Annuar said deep-sea ports could also be established in Labuan to cater for ship owners and maritime industry players with operations in Labuan waters.
