Kuala Lumpur: The Works Ministry is ready to discuss with the Sabah government on new ways to construct the Pan Borneo Highway in the state.
Its Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said among matters to be discussed was the implementation of the project via the private finance initiative (PFI).
“We are ready to discuss with the Sabah government on the new implementation method, whether through PFI and so on...we will look at the government’s financial position,” he said when hen winding up the committee-level Budget 2021 debate for the ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.
The allocation for the ministry was then approved at the committee level with a majority vote after being debated by 10 members of Parliament.
Fadilah said 16 of the remaining 20 packages of the project in Sabah have been approved, 15 of which had been tendered out and one was cancelled due to incompetent contractors while another was approved through the 2021 package.
Earlier, MP Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) went on a rant at the Dewan Rakyat, telling opposition Sabah MPs to “shut up” and calling them “losers” while debating on the development of the Pan Borneo Highway.
It started with Bung saying the roads in Sabah were among the worst around and “it become worse under Warisan’s administration”.
Khalid Samad (PH-Shah Alam) stood up to quip: “Thanks to Barisan Nasional who ruled Sabah for decades.”
At this point, Bung lost his cool. He asked Khalid to “shut up”, adding that he wanted the current Sabah government to make the highway a reality.
He said it may not be right to allocate RM460 million for each package of the 2,239km, including a 1,090km stretch in Sarawak.
Bung claimed only 25pc of the construction in Sabah was completed while 60pc was done in Sarawak, adding that “this is not a reality but a nightmare”.
He said the highway should not be completed in stages as it may not be finished even in 2040.
Ma’mun Sulaiman (Warisan-Kalabakan) stood up to speak but Bung asked him to “shut up”.
“You are a loser. Don’t talk too much,” Bung told Ma’mun. He also told other opposition MPs not to interrupt him while he was debating.
Bung further urged the government to complete the highway on time as Sabahans need a good road in the state.
It has been reported that the estimated cost for Phase 1, involving 35 packages, is RM12.86 billion, covering 706km from the south-western border town of Sindumin to Kota Kinabalu and on to the east coast of Sandakan-Tawau.
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