Rozman (seated left) during a press conference after paying a courtesy call to SHafie at PPNS yesterday.
KOTA KINABALU: The realization of the Labuan-Menumbok dream bridge may bring the first toll to East Malaysia.
Labuan MP Datuk Rozman Isli said the federal counterpart had given the green light for the bridge project, around 10km in length, to be constructed under a Private Fund Initiative (PFI).
He added the Request for Proposal (RFP) would be open before end of the year for the project, which had received full support from the Sabah Government.
“We are really hoping there will be investors, groups who will take up and invest on that bridge. I am sure there will be all kind of concepts proposed. The logical one, and mentioned many times by our Federal Minister, is probably a combination of land swap and concessions to collect tolls,” he said.
“But, of course, I would request that the toll charge be very low. We want it to be the bridge for the people, not only for the industry or the wealthy. The toll should be less than RM10 and probably they only charge one-way. After all that is what they charge in Penang, RM7 toll,” revealed Rozman.
“With the bridge, connectivity will improve. I am sure not just tourism, all other industries will have the potential to grow fast, namely tourism, Labuan as a logistic centre, probably a port city and Labuan as Halal Hub Centre. We also have the potential of being developed into a fishery centre,” he said.
Currently, Rozman said the federal territory island experienced a few hundred thousand Labuan-Menumbok ferry trips a year and have four ferries, which have between 60 and 100 passenger capacity, operating the route per day.
Although another ferry is under construction, the Labuan MP said Labuan cannot cope with the increasing number of traffic on the route.
“The traffic is high now probably because of high fare of flights from KK (Kota Kinabalu) to Labuan, (it is) among the most expensive. The cheapest is RM198 for one-way economy class,” he said.
“Can you imagine? It is cheaper for us to fly to KL (Kuala Lumpur) than to fly to KK. I am sure it is cheaper to fly to Tawau from KK, than to fly to Labuan when we only spend 15 minutes in the air to go there,” he pointed out during a press conference after paying a courtesy visit to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal at the Sabah State Administration Centre (PPNS) here yesterday.
Rozman said the meet with Shafie, along with representatives from some seven chamber of commerce in Labuan were to present proposals that would include the federal territory into the development structure of Sabah.
Amongst them were to develop the Menumbok-Kuala Penyu area connected to Labuan by building a second Menumbok-Labuan ramp to increase the quality of service of the public transportation system at the Menumbok-Labuan Ferry Terminal.
He said the area suffers congestion not only during festive seasons but every weekend.
The Labuan MP also appealed for the Pan Borneo Highway network to include the Beaufort-Kuala Penyu area, and to promote Labuan as an investment, trade and business destination for the Brunei and Borneo Bay.
In addition, Rozman proposed for the state government to allow the registered Labuan fishermen to fish in the Sabah waters.
He said the Labuan waters area big and very close to the Sabah waters.
“If we are not allowed to fish within all of the Sabah waters, maybe we can be given the permission to fish 50 percent of the area,” he said.
According to Rozman, some 50 percent of some 100,000 population in Labuan originated from Sabah, and 28,000 of them were voters.