Awang Tengah (second left) performing the earth-breaking ceremony of the Kampung Ipai-Kampung Pendam road.
LIMBANG: Sarawak has requested the Malaysian Ministry of Transport to discuss mutually beneficial arrangements on cross-border travel with its Brunei counterpart following the sultanate’s recent decision to impose BRD3 on foreigners crossing its border starting next month.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said he had contacted Deputy Minister of Works Hasbi Habibolah on the issue and requested the ministry to discuss with their Brunei counterparts on this issue affecting families and other frequent travellers from Sarawak.
“Malaysia, in particular Sarawak, has always enjoyed a good and close relationship not only at the government-to-government level but also among their people where many are related,” he said at an earth-breaking ceremony of a road project costing RM35 million between Kampung Pendam to Kampung Ipai in Limbang today.
Awang Tengah added that he would also personally follow up on the development of this issue where locals in Miri, Limbang and Lawas feared that it would be a financial burden to transit or visit relatives with these fees imposed while the business community frets that it would further dent business.
Awang Tengah said that Sarawak respected the decision taken by the Brunei Government and believed both sides could discuss mutually beneficial issues such this latest decision which also affects Sarawakians.
He said the close cooperation and good ties has enabled many past issues to be resolved, including transit requirement.
He said that the Brunei Government responded speedily to his written request through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brunei to consider waiving the requirement of approval for State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) or police to transit through Brunei during the earlier stage of movement control order.
“They accommodated our request and at the same time extended opening time at the CIQs. There are many forums when there are issues to be discussed,” he said.
The road project under Recoda will include upgrading seven kilometres of road, constructing six kilometres of road and a bridge which would be supervised by Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA).
This two-year project, to be completed by July 20 in 2022 is part of the RM860 million worth of infrastructure and amenities projects under NRDA chaired by Awang Tengah himself.
“The emphasis on infrastructure and amenities development is a strategic step focused on exploiting available resources and strength of the respective areas to boost entrepreneurship and economic activities, especially high value-added downstream activities,” he said.
He added the strategic location with Brunei was a boon for border trade and other economic activities between Sarawak and Brunei.
Earlier on, Assistant Minister of Modernisation of Agriculture, Native Land and Rural Development Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail in his speech said the new road will drastically slash travelling time for locals .
Also present were Batu Danau assemblyman and NRDA board member Paulus Palu Gumbang and NRDA regional director Ubaidillah Latip.