Don’t suspend Sabah CIQS project, Bung tells Putrajaya

 

Federal works minister Fadillah Yusof said work on the CIQS complex had been put on hold for lack of funds. (Bernama pic)

KOTA KINABALU: Deputy chief minister Bung Moktar Radin is upset with the federal government’s decision to suspend the construction of the RM600 million customs, immigration, quarantine and security (CIQS) complex and staff quarters in Sabah’s Kalabakan district.

Demanding that Putrajaya reverse its decision, Bung, who is also state works minister, said the move was unfair to Sabahans who needed an economic catalyst to develop the eastern part of the state.

He said the announcement by federal works minister Fadillah Yusof that the project had been suspended due to lack of funding from the finance ministry, came as a shock considering that early work on the complex had begun.

He said the reason alone gave the impression that Sabah’s needs and welfare were not receiving due attention.

“This excuse is unacceptable because the complex will help propel Sabah’s economy in line with Indonesia moving its capital to Kalimantan,” he said in a statement today.

“The state’s economy has been lagging behind Peninsular Malaysia for far too long despite Sabah’s significant revenue contributions to the nation.”

On Wednesday, Fadillah told the Dewan Rakyat that the project in Serudong, part of the Jalan Kalabakan-Serudong package of the Trans-Borneo Highway, had been approved by Putrajaya in the 2020 Budget, with RM10 million allocated for early works.

However, in June 2020, the finance ministry decided not to proceed with some of the initiatives announced in the budget.

“Because of that, work could not continue as no funds were being channelled to this ministry,” he said in a written reply to Kalabakan MP Ma’mun Sulaiman.

Bung said Sabah should not fall victim to a lack of funding as there were projects in the peninsula like the RM20 billion mass rapid transit 2 (MRT2) project that was almost completed.

He said the Kalabakan project was far cheaper, but its significance was the same for Sabahans as the MRT2 in the peninsula.

“If the government goes ahead with the postponement, Sabah will continue to be left behind because vital infrastructure like the CIQS complex is not built.” - FMT