Paulus, Awang Tengah and Dr Abdul Rahman (standing fifth, seventh and eighth left, respectively) with the players of ‘Jalan Jalan Cari Makan A’, who managed to defend their title as the ‘Sepak Takraw King of Borneo’.
LAWAS: Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan does not agree with the federal government’s decision to impose a RM20 entry permit charge on Brunei-registered vehicles entering the state.
He said the decision should not be made in the first place as Malaysia was now facing the headwinds of a slowing global economy and tourism was making a significant contribution to its economy.
In terms of tourism dollars, he said visitors from Brunei apart from Sabah and Indonesia had made significant contributions to the state’s economy when visiting Miri, Limbang, Lawas and other parts of the state.
“That is an unwise decision without taking into account the negative impact on tourism and the multiplier economic effect on Sarawak and Sabah,” he said.
He made the remarks when reacting to the announcement by Ministry of Transport that road charge would be collected from foreign vehicles entering the state.
Awang Tengah’s view was echoed by Assistant Minister of Welfare and Community Wellbeing Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail who is also Bukit Kota assemblyman, and Batu Danau assemblyman Paulus Palu Gumbang – both saying that the move would have a negative impact.
They were met after the closing ceremony of Raja Libas Borneo (Borneo Takraw King) Championship 2016 here on Sunday.
They all felt that the move was ‘penny-wise but pound-foolish’ because tourists would be turned off. Both expressed unhappiness that the state was not consulted on the issue.
Minister of Transport Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai made the announcement on Oct 30 that the road charge (RC) would be enforced on foreign-registered vehicles in stages at Malaysia’s entry points, starting with vehicles from Singapore on Nov 1.