Labuan bridge to Sabah worth considering, says FT minister

Labuan island, 8km off the Borneo coast, is home to an international financial centre. (Bernama pic)

LABUAN: A long-standing proposal to build a bridge from Labuan to mainland Sabah should be given serious attention because of its potential economic benefits to the island, Federal Territories minister Annuar Musa said today.

“We had a lengthy discussion this morning, and I visited the proposed site to understand the potential of having the bridge,” he said today on a visit to the island.

“But let’s not talk big about the whole thing and later on be unable to deliver. Nevertheless, we accept the fact that the bridge construction is something that should be given serious attention,” he told reporters after presenting appointment letters to the new leaders of the Labuan People’s Representative Council.

Annuar was on a three-day working visit to Labuan, his first since being appointed minister in March.

He said there might be issues like costing and technical matters to be resolved which would need close cooperation between the Sabah and federal governments.

Annuar Musa

Annuar said all these aspects must be thoroughly studied before the project could be implemented.

He stressed the need for an indepth study of Labuan’s development plans in line with its status as a federal territory.
Labuan island was ceded to the federal government in 1984. The island lies 8km off the Borneo coast, on the northern edge of Brunei Bay.

Annuar also said the vacant post of Labuan Corporation chairman would be filled soon. The corporation fulfils the functions of a municipal government.

“The chairman’s post was neither terminated nor cancelled, but rather all political appointments by the previous Pakatan Harapan government were automatically dropped after Perikatan Nasional formed the government,” he said.

The post was previously held by Parti Amanah Negara member Amir Hussien.

“The appointment of the new chairman, who is from Labuan, has been made known to the prime minister, and he will decide on the candidate,” he added. - FMT