KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is set to speed up work on the infrastructure needed at its south-eastern border with Kalimantan in anticipation of Indonesia moving its capital to Borneo.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the Federal Government had given the go-ahead for the state to construct a road to connect the borders of Serudong in Kalabakan (Tawau district) to Simanggaris in Indonesia's Kalimantan.
He said the Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority (Sedia) has been directed to take the lead in developing Sabah’s side of the Malaysia-Indonesia regional border.
He said the Federal Government's approval was conveyed to him by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economic Affairs) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed during a video conference earlier this month.
He said the project costing RM600mil would include the construction of a Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security (CIQS) Complex at the entry point in Serudong/Simanggaris to check all border crossings.
“We must take all the necessary steps and action in anticipation of Indonesia moving its capital from Jakarta to Kalimantan, ” Hajiji said after chairing the Sedia board meeting at the State Administrative Centre here on Thursday (March 11).
He said it was important for Sedia to play a major role in the realisation of the project.
"I wish to reiterate that Sedia needs to continuously play an active role in the planning and implementation of high-impact projects as well as to attract more investors into the state," said Hajiji, who is also state Finance Minister.
Hajiji also asked Sedia to scrutinise and provide feedback on the proposed Strategic Review of the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) Blueprint 2.0 that was tabled at the meeting.
The meeting also sought the endorsement of the proposed Sepangar Bay Container Port (SBCP) expansion that would be submitted to the Prime Minister's Department before obtaining approval from the Finance Ministry.
"The SBCP expansion development is important because it will be a game changer for trade and businesses in this region, especially if SBCP can be transformed into a transshipment hub for this part of the world," Hajiji said.
The Sedia meeting also discussed Sawit Kinabalu Farm Product Sdn Bhd's decision to set up its premium Kinabalu beef and edible bird nest production plant at the Sabah Agro-Industrial Precinct (SAIP) in Kimanis.
Hajiji said the company, a subsidiary of Sawit Kinabalu, would put in a RM4mil investment in SAIP that is expected to create 500 jobs besides economic spin-offs, particularly in the upstream industry.
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