Baru: No decision yet on replacing Pan Borneo PDP model

KUCHING: The federal government has yet to decide on a proposal to replace the Pan Borneo Highway Sarawak project delivery partner (PDP) model with a turnkey contractor model.

Works Minister Baru Bian told The Borneo Post yesterday, through his aide Lynette Tan, the government has received the proposal but there is no decision yet.

He also said the government's decision would not affect PDP contractors if they are indeed doing their jobs.

When contacted, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Jemut Masing said even if the PDP model is scrapped, what matters is that the whole project's completion must still be on schedule.

"The scraping of PDP model from the construction of Pan Borneo Highway is a federal matter. Federal government can decide what is best to build it," said Masing, who is Infrastructure Development and Transportation Minister. He said the Sarawak government will follow what is best to build and finish the Pan Borneo Highway on time.

"Sarawak is not 'crazy' in how or who controls its construction as long as it is built on time," he said.

Masing stressed the federal government must take cognisance of the fact that Pan Borneo Highway is built on Sarawak's ‘turf' and therefore the Sarawak government should also be involved in it.

The current PDPs are Borneo Highway PDP Sdn Bhd (BHP) in Sabah and Lebuhraya Borneo Utara Sdn Bhd (LBU) in Sarawak.

On Thursday, business daily The Edge quoted a source as saying the government had decided to ditch the PDP model in favour of a turnkey contractor model.

Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal also confirmed that an agreement had been reached in a discussion between the Sabah government, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and Baru, that the PDP model would not be used, so as to ensure a more efficient and accountable management of the highway construction cost.

The toll-free 1,060km-highway linking Sarawak and Sabah is estimated to cost more than RM29 billion.