Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing (centre) and Dennis Ngau (BN-Telang Usan) hold a piece of document at the DUN complex. Assistant Minister of Youth and Sports Snowdan Lawan is on Masing’s right. — Photo by Jeffery Mostapa.
KUCHING: A new public bus route from Kuching to Putussibau, a town located in West Kalimantan province of Indonesia might be created by the state government soon.
According to Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation Tan Sri Datuk Amar James Jemut Masing, the proposed bus route will cross through the Lubok Antu/Nanga Badau border.
He mentioned that a pilot-test project was conducted to identify the possibility of creating the new route.
According to him, one of the reasons for the creation of the bus route is because Sarawak have a cordial relationship with West Kalimantan through the trans-border cooperation known as Sosek-Malindo and BIMP-EAGA.
“It is anticipated that through this relationship, it will accelerate the economic growth between Sarawak (Malaysia) and West Kalimantan (Indonesia) from the aspects of international trades.
“In addition it will contribute to the growth of the tourism industry, especially in healthcare tourism,” he added.
Referring to a discussion published in an Indonesian newspaper regarding Border Trade Agreement 1970, on
April 18, Masing mentioned that the discussion said that the agreement should be reviewed.
“In view of this, and due to the importance of the bilateral relationship it becomes necessary for us also to review the agreement in total.
“However in doing so, we must ensure that the revision should not affect our country’s social-economic needs and security matters,” he said.
Since 1983, Malaysia and Indonesia have signed cooperation in the field of social and economic development of the border between the two countries known as ‘Socio-Ekonomi Malaysia-Indonesia’ (Sosek-Malindo).
BIMP-EAGA on the other hand is a sub-regional
economic cooperation initiative of Southeast Asia (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines) which was launched in 1994.