S’wak seeking RM24bil to build Border Security Road

KUCHING: Slowly but steadily. That’s how Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing (pic) described the State’s pace of infrastructure development over the years.

He said accessibility was one of the core ingredients essential for any development as it served as the backbone for economic activities, like tourism, provided access for cultivation and allowed products to reach consumers.

“While Sarawak is developing its digital economy, infrastructure shall remain an integral part that supports the physical movement of humans and goods in support of digital economy,” he said in his winding-up speech on the last day of the State Legislative Assembly sitting, here, Friday.

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As the State Infrastructure and Port Development Minister, he said road infrastructure was crucial in any country’s development plan, as connectivity would serve as a catalyst for economic activities.

“To become a developed State by 2030, the infrastructural network has to be built between towns and villages, which will then allow the development of various industries.

Masing said his Ministry was seeking federal funding of about RM24 billion under the 12th Malaysia Plan to build a 1,032km Border Security Road Network from Biawak, in the southern side of Sarawak, all the way up to the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road on the northern side.

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He said the completion of the Border Security Road would enable better protection of the State’s multi-billion-ringgit assets, such as the Sarawak-Sabah Gas Pipeline and four of its hydro-electric power dams, namely Bakun, Murum, Baleh and Batang Ai Dams, all of which are situated adjacent to the international border with Indonesia.

He said the State Government would also undertake the construction of two short take-off and landing airports (STOLport) at Bukit Mabong, Kapit and Bebuling, Betong so as to enhance rural economic transformation and bring Sarawak’s rural areas out of isolation through air connectivity.

“These projects are in the early planning stages, with construction expected to commence in 2021,” he added.