Implementation of Pan Borneo Highway project in S’wak to continue – Chong

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Chong (left) and Dr Yii at the press conference.

KUCHING: Sarawakians have been assured that the implementation of the RM16 billion-Pan Borneo Highway project in Sarawak will continue.

The assurance was made by State Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman and newly elected Member of Parliament for Stampin Chong Chieng Jen.

“I would like to reassure all Sarawakians that the Pan Borneo project will continue despite the change of government,” he told a press conference at DAP headquarters here today.

He, however, said some auditing would be done on the actual carrying out of the works and also the appointments of sub-contractors and layers of sub-contractors, which were getting a fraction of the price although they were the ones that were doing the works.

“Because of that, some review and audit would have to be done.

“For now, I would like to reassure all Sarawakians that Pan Borneo project will continue and so are the other major projects that have been going on in Sarawak,” he said.

Chong, who is state Democratic Action Party (DAP), said like the Pan Borneo project, auditing would also be done on the federal-funded projects in Sarawak.

He noted that the purpose and intend of auditing was to ensure that every single sen that is spent by the federal government would go to the projects and benefits the people, and not half of it goes to the pockets of the cronies and the other half goes to the project.

Ask if he would be part of the auditing group, he said he was not a qualified auditor.

“The auditing would be done by qualified professionals appointed by PH government.

“The details would be worked out later. For now, we just want to reassure Sarawakians that all the federal-funded projects in the state will continue.”

Chong said the PH government would also expedite the implementation of the Pan Borneo projects.

He said the project was going a bit slow because payments for contractors doing the actual works were delayed.

“The delay was a result of layers and layers of sub-contractor involved in the projects. This makes it difficult to carry out the project,” he said.

Also present at the press conference was new elected Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii.