Tunku during his stopover in Tawau after visiting Kalabakan where he laid the foundation stone for a $75,000 memorial.
NORTH BORNEO & SABAH TIMES (Monday, Dec 5, 1966)
JESSELTON, Dec 4 – The Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman has promised to take up the matter of the Keningau-Sapulut Road project with a view to completing it by the Malaysian Army Engineers.
He said when he got back to Kuala Lumpur, he would discuss the matter with Tun Abdul Razak, the Deputy Minister, Minister of Defence and Minister for Rural Development.
The Prime Minister said this at a press conference this morning, shortly before he boarded a Royal Malaysian Air Force plane for Kuala Lumpur, after a four-day’s visit to Sabah.
Tunku playing a round of golf at the KGC.
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The Keningau-Sapulut Road was started by the Australian Army Engineering Squadrons as an emergency project during the Indonesian Confrontation against Malaysia. They have worked on the project for the past two years and have completed sixty miles of the 76-miles project when their 22nd Construction Squadron pulled out recently as part of the post-confrontation withdrawal of Commonwealth Forces.
The Tunku said that such kind of emergency roads are always useful for rural development. “Any road is useful,” he said.
A Ministry of Defence statement issued on last Friday indicated that the project has to be abandoned owing to the withdrawal of The Australian Army Engineering Squadrons on completion of the tour without new replacements.
The statement says, “The Ministry wishes to clarify that this road was originally a defence project which was required for defence purposes.
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“Now that confrontation is ended, its importance as such has diminished. The road, however, has been behind schedule in its completion owing to the difficult terrain and lack of engineering facilities, among other things.
“The Malaysian Government and this Ministry are most appreciative of the Australian Government and in particular the Australian Army Engineering Squadron for their contribution and efforts in building this road almost to completion.
“With the ending of confrontation, the Government has agreed to the withdrawal of the last Australian Army Engineering Squadrons on completing of the tour without new replacements.
“If the State considers this road important for its development, then it is up to the State Government to consider including it under its development programme,” the statement says.