SME Sabah hopes no Pan Borneo Highway delay
KOTA KINABALU: Small and Medium Enterprises Association of Sabah (SME Sabah) president Foo Ngee Kee hopes that the Pan Borneo Highway project would be completed as scheduled under next year’s budget as the development could stimulate economic activities that were dampened by the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said the highway project would directly and indirectly benefit SMEs in Sabah.
He hoped that the government would appoint local contractors to participate in the project as doing so would stimulate the State’s economy.
When completed, Foo added that the Pan Borneo Highway project would have a significant positive impact on Borneo island as well.
At present, he said Sarawak has completed around 60 to 70 percent of the Pan Borneo Highway project whereas Kalimantan has finished construction.
“Only Sabah is lagging behind in the construction of the highway.
“Once the highway is completed in Sabah, the road network system will connect Sabah to Sarawak and Kalimantan.”
For example, Foo said goods in Sabah could be transported more efficiently to Kuching via the Pan Borneo Highway instead of using sea freight.
“Goods produced in Sabah, such as cooking oil or natural gas, could also be exported to cities in Indonesia such as Balikpapan or Samarinda, thereby promoting bilateral trade that could benefit the economies of both sides.”
He believed that the Pan Borneo Highway project could also propel the tourism industry in Sabah as it would attract more visitors from Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan.
On top of that, he said visitors from other parts of Borneo Island would opt to transit in Kota Kinabalu en route to China due to the availability of direct flights from Sabah’s state capital to China.
“We very much look forward to the completion of the Pan Borneo Highway project.
“The development will foster closer cooperation and mutually beneficial ties in logistics, economy, agriculture, industrial sector and tourism.”