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Fadillah Yusof
KUCHING (Dec 19): The Pan Borneo Highway project is expected to be 70 percent complete by the end of 2021, said Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
He said the project was initially supposed to be completed with phase one in early 2022 or late 2021, but after the previous government canceled the project’s implementing partner (PDP), it was further delayed.
“Without the PDP, the anticipated progress of the Pan Borneo highway project in the state was 62 percent this year, but the Covid-19 pandemic delayed it further, and at this time the project’s progress is approximately 51 percent. percent.
“My goal is around 70 percent (progress in 2021). Realistically, I expect the Pan Borneo highway project to be completed with phase one in 2023 … the first quarter, ”he told reporters after officiating at a media luncheon here today.
To achieve that goal, Fadillah said his ministry is in the midst of appointing a project management consultant (PMC) who would greatly help lighten the burden on the Sarawak Department of Public Works (JKR).
He said that the PMC will become a government consultant, which would help JKR Sarawak monitor the Pan Borneo Highway project, as well as the verification process for the contractors involved in the project.
“That is why we need the PMC that can promote the project. That will help JKR Sarawak a lot in terms of monitoring, verification and verification of all the work package contractors. Right now, as they know JKR Sarawak in terms of workload for both state and federal projects, I don’t think they can cope with it.
“This is why we need to appoint PMC to work under JKR Sarawak and help out in whatever way they can,” he said.
Fadillah explained that the PMC designated company would have to monitor the work package contractors performing the work on the 12 packages on the Pan Borneo Highway project in the state.
“We have identified a company. The appointment is expected to be in January next year, it has not yet been finalized. Now we are waiting for the Ministry of Finance to finalize it, ”he said.
Fadillah also hoped that the Covid-19 pandemic would soon be under control and that more foreign workers could come and work on the project to accelerate the completion of the Pan Borneo highway.
If not, he expected local workers to come in and fill the job gap to supplement existing foreign workers already in the state.
But for now, he said state immigration policy still closes its borders to outsiders, particularly from the Philippines and Indonesia, except for certain groups of people.
“That is why we encourage local people to get involved in the construction industry now. Second, foreign workers who are in Malaysia can still be absorbed to work in the construction industry as long as they do not have a criminal record, ”said Fadillah.
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