Referring to Najib’s comment that the “Pan Borneo Highway is a world class highway” during his recent visit to Sabah and the launching of the project in Sindumin, Sri Tanjong assemblyman Chan Foong Hin called it an empty promise based on the current state of affairs when it came to infrastructure in the state.
“The roads in Sabah are not even on par with the standard of roads in peninsular Malaysia, so why should we even talk about world class standard?
“In a nutshell, it’s not enough for Sabah just to get a toll-free Pan Borneo Highway at an overall cost of RM16 billion in the next five years. Instead, a comprehensive package to upgrade the existing 62 bridges in Sabah, 1,501km of federal roads, and 10,747km of state roads, is really what Sabahans need,” Chan said.
The Sabah DAP secretary also gave a basic comparison on why the quality of Sabah roads are inferior compared with that of roads in the peninsula, by looking at the gross vehicle weight allowed on roads.
“For example, the maximum gross vehicle weight (BDM) allowed in peninsular is 53,000 kg, whereas for Sabah it is restricted to 38,000kg, irrespective of the number of axle configurations of a vehicle.
“Why the difference? It is simply due to the carrying capacity of the bridges and roads here being lower than that of roads and bridges in the peninsula,” Chan said, adding that the sub-standard road quality in Sabah creates disadvantages in terms of lesser payload, higher unit cost and higher operating cost, among other things.
Accusing Najib and the Barisan Nasional of using the Pan Borneo Highway to fish for votes, Chan said Sabahans deserve better.
“It’s the obligation of the Federal Government to develop Sabah. So, please don’t capitalise on the Pan Borneo Highway ground-breaking ceremony to fish for votes here.
“We deserve to enjoy highways of a good quality, that is on par with Peninsular Malaysia, as Sabah is an equal partner in the formation of Malaysia,” Chan said, referring to the Malaysia Agreement 1963.